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Latest and most popular thought-provoking articles about human nature from diverse thinkers with audio
An oversized yellow plastic revolver gun displayed outside a brightly painted shop. There are palm trees in the background

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History of technology

Why America fell for guns

The US today has extraordinary levels of gun ownership. But to see this as a venerable tradition is to misread history

Megan Kang

A woman sits alone in a Parisian cafe with a glass of wine, while the neighbouring tables are full of socialising groups

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Love and friendship

Loved, yet lonely

You might have the unconditional love of family and friends and yet feel deep loneliness. Can philosophy explain why?

Kaitlyn Creasy

Human figures beneath a glass dome watch the launch of a rocket from the surface of Mars

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Space exploration

The final ethical frontier

Earthbound exploration was plagued with colonialism, exploitation and extraction. Can we hope to make space any different?

Philip Ball

Illustration of a prehistoric forest with various dinosaurs, including herbivores, a pterosaur flying, and a small carnivorous mammal-like creature.

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Palaeontology

The dinosaurs didn’t rule

When we think of changes in Earth’s history as changes of dynasty we miss out on understanding how life really works

Riley Black

A man and a woman with tattoos are standing in a kitchen, one shirtless and the other in a blue top, both in a contemplative mood.

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Economic history

Matrimony and the market

The sexual revolution promised new norms of intimacy based on egalitarianism. So far, only the rich have cashed in

Daniel Tutt

A dog sleeping on a street near a vegetable market stall, with people and bicycles in the background.

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Animals and humans

The free dogs of India

These canines have independent, peaceful, happy lives without a pet’s constraints. Why are they being persecuted and culled?

Krithika Srinivasan & Chris Pearson

A woman and two girls in blue dresses with cat-ear headbands, smiling and taking a selfie outdoors.

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Family life

Honey, I sold the kids

We have laws to protect children from factory work. Why aren’t they protected from parents who monetise their lives online?

Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore

Two girls sitting at a wooden table, studying with notebooks and stationery, with a large world map on the wall behind them.

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Education

Unschooling

It takes nerve to go against the grain and take your child out of school. But, for some, that’s when learning really starts

Naomi Fisher & Heidi Steel

Children in school uniforms reading books in a dimly lit classroom. The window is open, showing greenery outside.

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Language and linguistics

The problem with English

Is Earth’s most-spoken language a living ‘gift’ or a many-headed ‘monster’? Both views distract us from the real dilemma

Mario Saraceni

Close-up of a pug with expressive brown eyes and wrinkled features against a dark background.

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Animals and humans

Where went the wolf?

The very attributes that make small dogs cute and popular are slowly strangling their ability to function as real animals

Jessica Pierce

Two people in dark clothing walking through tall grass with trees in the background, one carrying a hunting bow and arrows in a sunny setting.

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Anthropology

Lessons from the foragers

Hunter-gatherers don’t live in an economic idyll but their deep appreciation of rest puts industrialised work to shame

Vivek V Venkataraman

Close-up of a sea snail with sand grains on its shell and long, bright yellow antennae against a dark background.

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Computing and artificial intelligence

What has feelings?

As the power of AI grows, we need to have evidence of its sentience. That is why we must return to the minds of animals

Kristin Andrews & Jonathan Birch