Unbounded
In the early 20th century, Emmy Noether’s mathematics transcended the physical world. She longed to do the same herself - by Julia Ravanis 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.
A duty to oneself
African philosophical values of harmony and vitality have much to offer our thinking about what we owe to ourselves - by Thaddeus Metz Read on Aeon
What is electronic music?
These days, synthesised sound is easy to access – but early electronic music pioneers had to get hands on to produce it - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Reversing extinction
Technologies of preserving and reviving organisms are already redefining the meaning of life, death, and extinction itself - by Sadiah Qureshi Read on Aeon
Echo
Struggling to speak after an operation, one man sets out to build himself a new connection to the world: a radio antenna - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Does culture make emotion?
Franz Boas helps us solve the puzzle of where our emotional lives originate: in our selves or in the cultures around us - by Noga Arikha Read on Aeon
Ever behind the sunset
This hand-painted stop motion animation recalls the textures of a family home demolished to make way for a widened road - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The eye of the mathematician
Is mathematical beauty real? Or is it just a subjective, human ‘wow’ that is becoming redundant in an AI age? - by Rita Ahmadi Read on Aeon
Savage care
Neat ethical principles have nothing to say to doctors like me, faced with the brutal, bloody compromises of hospital life - by Ronald W Dworkin Read on Aeon
After rain
A family swim, share meals and tell stories by a creek in Central Australia in a joyous celebration of much-needed rain - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
On her own terms
Doris Lessing’s Golden Notebook remains shocking, necessary and imperfect – a dazzling experiment in living as a woman - by Catherine Taylor Read on Aeon
Exploratorium
Play with the physics of perception at Frank Oppenheimer’s Exploratorium in this captivating, Oscar-nominated short from 1974 - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The insurance catastrophe
Whole regions of the world are now uninsurable, bringing radical uncertainty to the economy. How do we fix the problem? - by Gavin Evans Read on Aeon
Great art explained: Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581
Why Ilya Repin’s masterpiece of Ivan the Terrible, first banned in 1885, remains one of Russia’s most controversial paintings - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Who is Walter Mignolo?
A prominent architect of decolonial theory, his diagnosis of European colonial ills is both penetrating and flawed - by Federico Perelmuter Read on Aeon
There are no psychopaths
Virtually everything you think you know about psychopathy has been thoroughly debunked. Why does this zombie idea live on? - by Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen Read on Aeon
Love immortal
In pursuit of defeating death, Alan has dedicated his life to cryonics. He hopes to be defrosted together with his wife - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The presence of power
The Indian thinker Rammohun Roy believed that good governance must be close: distance made the British Empire cruel - by Shomik Dasgupta Read on Aeon
Divers
The meticulous preparation and fleeting ecstasy of elite high-diving captured in all its breathtaking shapes and sounds - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
The six-second hug
From art to religion to sex, instrumentalisation has drained away intrinsic value. But life is about more than material benefits - by Julian Baggini Read on Aeon
