Aeon Articles

Satie’s furniture music Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) ‘Designed to be ignored’ – uncover the surprisingly fascinating origins of background music in this video essay on Erik Satie - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

She is a shaman Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Glimpse into the daily life of a female shaman who hosts ayahuasca ceremonies for tourists in the Peruvian Amazon - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

When I lost my intuition Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) For years, I practised medicine with cool certainty, comfortable with life-and-death decisions. Then, one day, I couldn’t - by Ronald W Dworkin Read at Aeon

The winter of civilisation Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Byung-Chul Han’s relentless critiques of digital capitalism reveal how this suffocating system creates hollowed-out lives - by Josh Cohen Read at Aeon

Hegemony and childcare Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Early childhood development interventions in the Global South is a huge industry built on highly questionable assumptions - by Francesca Mezzenzana & Gabriel Scheidecker Read at Aeon

Saving parasites Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) One in three parasitic species is in danger. Here’s why humans may need to power through the ‘ick’ to save them - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Carlo Rovelli: the physics and philosophy of time Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) What is the meaning of ‘now’? An Italian physicist takes us on a journey to the edges of our understanding of time - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

The art in the analyst’s room Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) The consulting office reflects the personality of the therapist, while also subtly shaping the experience of their patients - by Anna Parker Read at Aeon

Application to be Lars von Trier’s ‘female girlfriend/muse’ Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) When Lars von Trier seeks applications for a ‘female girlfriend/muse’, a filmmaker puts forward her 72-year-old lesbian neighbour - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

A right to exist? Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Since states are founded on violence and expulsion, their existence is always bound up in thorny questions about justice - by Andrew F March Read at Aeon

Chatbots of the dead Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) We can now create compelling experiences of talking with our dead. Is this ghoulish, therapeutic or something else again? - by Amy Kurzweil & Daniel Story Read at Aeon

The commitment to collaborate Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Though natural selection favours self-interest, humans are extraordinarily good at cooperating with one another. Why? - by Saira Khan Read at Aeon

Large language models explained Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) River bank or bank account? How chatbots learned to make the quantum leap to context by training on billions of prompts - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Children’s game: chivichanas Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) In this immersive portrait of play, children transform the streets of Havana into a racetrack with handmade ‘chivichanas’ - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Did you think you were safe? Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) When I moved to India for work, I found that rape was a cultural feature of the country, as deeply embedded as caste - by Evelyn Fok Read at Aeon

The bookends of time Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Nothing lasts forever: not humanity, not Earth, not the Universe. But finitude confers an indelible meaning to our lives - by Thomas Moynihan Read at Aeon

Prayer is the greatest freedom of all Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) ‘I think that freedom everywhere, anywhere is love.’ Father Giles, a monk for 47 years, shares his radical view of freedom - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

Beyond causality Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) In order to bridge the yawning gulf between the humanities and the sciences we must turn to an unexpected field: mathematics - by Gordon Gillespie Read at Aeon

Slow-motion tongues Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) Striking slow-motion footage captures the awesome evolutionary diversity – and handy usefulness – of a lizard’s tongue - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon

How the Moon became a place Aeon | a world of ideas (RSS) For most of history, the Moon was regarded as a mysterious and powerful object. Then scientists made it into a destination - by Danny Robb Read at Aeon