When trauma becomes trope
Humanitarian journalism is a moral calling to document human suffering. But in practice, it’s an ethically murky undertaking - by Cathy Otten Read on Aeon
Aeon | a world of ideas
Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. We publish in-depth essays from the world’s most incisive and ambitious thinkers, and a mix of original and curated videos — free to all.
The hidden world of plant roots
Plant roots don’t have a nervous system, yet can produce sophisticated responses. What does that say about intelligence? - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The house is a work of art
Frank Lloyd Wright exalted the individual and made ordinary life beautiful. But his life was marked by scandal and grief - by Andrew Deming Read on Aeon
The Medici’s lost garden of wonders
The rise and fall of the Medici’s ingeniously engineered ‘Garden of Wonders’: the Pratolino ‘proto-theme park’ in Tuscany - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Banking beyond the law
A centuries-old network of secret codes and shadowy brokers continues to outpace financial systems controlled by the state - by Miles Kellerman Read on Aeon
A search for answers
When Princeton University asked two directors to produce a marketing video, it became a work of art – and a time capsule - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The hypercurious mind
ADHD isn’t merely a dysfunction. It’s best understood as an impulsive motivational drive for novel information - by Anne-Laure Le Cunff Read on Aeon
Catastrophe markets
Americans love to gamble. But placing bets on wildfires, floods and storms comes with serious moral and social costs - by Jamie L Pietruska Read on Aeon
She never dances alone
Broadcast at Times Square, this kaleidoscopic reimagining of a powwow dance celebrates the strength of Indigenous women - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
One China, one world
China’s regime insists on national unity and international harmony. Is this anything more than an imperial posture? - by Peter C Perdue Read on Aeon
Being in the world: technology and humanity
If technology threatens to flatten our humanity, artists can deepen it. Hear how, from a flamenco musician and a juggler - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The clock in our genes
The biologist Victoria Foe discovered a timing device in ‘junk’ DNA that could unlock the evolution of complex life - by Beatrice Steinert Read on Aeon
The city that wasted nothing
Edo, modern Tokyo, transformed from a city near ecological collapse to a thriving epicentre by creating a circular economy - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
An African philosophy
Lansana Keita rejected Eurocentric ideas, tracing the philosophical tradition back to African Kemet or ancient Egypt - by Sanya Osha Read on Aeon
Bitch: a history
The word can morph from noun to verb to adjective, from dog to human, from female to male. What will it do next? - by Karen Stollznow Read on Aeon
Running against time
We all want longevity without compromising on quality of life. This 87-year-old achieves both with a daily running habit - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Geist in the machine
As the 18th-century war between mechanism and romanticism returns, we face a new question: can we build artificial souls? - by Peter Wolfendale Read on Aeon
Izembek
What does true wilderness look like? A photographer captures a rare slice of it in this refuge threatened by development - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Abandoning ourselves
Since living requires choosing, we will always feel regret about the paths not taken. But what matters is the future we forge - by Tasha Kleeman Read on Aeon
Henri Bergson: Creative Evolution
How do we develop our sense of space? Henri Bergson questioned the very fabric of our reality in his revolutionary work - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
