Our culture valorises the big, coherent self: reading Robert Musil helps me embrace the beauty of my no-self existence. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert...
Apr 07, 2026•20 min
Easy access to desperately needed drugs has made India the global accelerant of our antimicrobial resistance crisis. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert co...
Apr 06, 2026•28 min
Physicists believe a third class of particles – anyons – could exist, but only in 2D. What kind of existence is that?. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert ...
Apr 04, 2026•31 min
Humanitarian journalism is a moral calling to document human suffering. But in practice, it’s an ethically murky undertaking. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into ...
Apr 03, 2026•27 min
Frank Lloyd Wright exalted the individual and made ordinary life beautiful. But his life was marked by scandal and grief. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expe...
Apr 02, 2026•29 min
A centuries-old network of secret codes and shadowy brokers continues to outpace financial systems controlled by the state. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into ex...
Mar 31, 2026•23 min
ADHD isn’t merely a dysfunction. It’s best understood as an impulsive motivational drive for novel information. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert concept...
Mar 30, 2026•27 min
Some saw the Moon as representing creation, yearning for the Divine, some saw the Moon as almost Divine herself. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert concep...
Mar 29, 2026•21 min
The idea that we should reduce sleep to an efficient minimum in our lives gets something fundamentally wrong. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert concepts ...
Mar 28, 2026•22 min
Americans love to gamble. But placing bets on wildfires, floods and storms comes with serious moral and social costs. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert c...
Mar 27, 2026•35 min
China’s regime insists on national unity and international harmony. Is this anything more than an imperial posture?. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert co...
Mar 26, 2026•26 min
The biologist Victoria Foe discovered a timing device in ‘junk’ DNA that could unlock the evolution of complex life. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert co...
Mar 24, 2026•35 min
Lansana Keita rejected Eurocentric ideas, tracing the philosophical tradition back to African Kemet or ancient Egypt. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert c...
Mar 23, 2026•25 min
Elephant families are matriarchal, inclusive and caring. But when environmental scarcity hits, everything changes. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert conc...
Mar 22, 2026•28 min
We know that black holes are strange, but they could be hiding something even weirder beyond their horizons. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert concepts a...
Mar 21, 2026•19 min
The word can morph from noun to verb to adjective, from dog to human, from female to male. What will it do next?. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert conce...
Mar 20, 2026•27 min
As the 18th-century war between mechanism and romanticism returns, we face a new question: can we build artificial souls?. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into exp...
Mar 19, 2026•47 min
Since living requires choosing, we will always feel regret about the paths not taken. But what matters is the future we forge. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into...
Mar 17, 2026•17 min
In the early 20th century, Emmy Noether’s mathematics transcended the physical world. She longed to do the same herself. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into exper...
Mar 16, 2026•25 min
Contemplating the world requires a body, and a body requires an immune system: the rungs of life create the stuff of thought. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into ...
Mar 15, 2026•24 min
Ayahuasca has gone global. But do corporate managers in China’s megacities have the same visions as shamans in Peru?. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert c...
Mar 14, 2026•39 min
African philosophical values of harmony and vitality have much to offer our thinking about what we owe to ourselves. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert co...
Mar 13, 2026•20 min
Technologies of preserving and reviving organisms are already redefining the meaning of life, death, and extinction itself. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into ex...
Mar 12, 2026•26 min
Franz Boas helps us solve the puzzle of where our emotional lives originate: in our selves or in the cultures around us. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into exper...
Mar 10, 2026•28 min
Who belongs to our moral community? The Greek philosopher Empedocles had an answer: all life, from humans to the laurel bush. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into ...
Mar 08, 2026•23 min
The gravest of all decisions, to go to war, happens without the consent of the people. This is a great flaw in democracy. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expe...
Mar 07, 2026•20 min
Neat ethical principles have nothing to say to doctors like me, faced with the brutal, bloody compromises of hospital life. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into ex...
Mar 06, 2026•24 min
Doris Lessing’s Golden Notebook remains shocking, necessary and imperfect – a dazzling experiment in living as a woman. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert...
Mar 05, 2026•32 min
Whole regions of the world are now uninsurable, bringing radical uncertainty to the economy. How do we fix the problem?. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into exper...
Mar 03, 2026•28 min
A prominent architect of decolonial theory, his diagnosis of European colonial ills is both penetrating and flawed. Aeon audio explores the most profound and relevant ideas, told through essays that help us make sense of ourselves and the world. We ask the big, existentially significant questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture. Each episode features a narrated Aeon essay, a journey into expert con...
Mar 02, 2026•33 min
