Self determination – or delusion?

The debate over whether humans have free will is a long-standing and complex issue in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. Do we really have free will – and therefore moral responsibility for our actions – or are our choices shaped our genetic makeup and social influences in ways that put them out of our control?

Scepticism v credulity

The ability to perceive patterns is a fundamental building block of human intelligence, but we need the scientific method to ensure these patterns are real, rather than illusions.

Trust your instincts

We’re surrounded by technology and spend decades honing our intellects at school and university but intuition – the ability to understand something without conscious reasoning – remains a powerful force in our lives, and can sometimes even be a life saver.

Myth and religion

Religions have been the repositories and interpreters of myths and sacred stories and the creators of rituals to express them, but as religions become institutionalised or associated with secular political power, they are all too often distorted for self-serving purposes.

Unraveling the riddle of cognition

Cognition – the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses – was once thought the preserve of the human brain, but scientific research increasingly suggests that simple organisms and even plants are capable of understanding and reacting to their environments in remarkable ways.

We are the stories we tell about ourselves

Myths of gods and monsters and legends of great and heroic deeds have played a vital role in shaping and passing on cultures around the world, and remain important in what they can tell us about human nature today.

Home grown science

Long before the understanding of modern chemistry came to these shores, indigenous people were treating native plants to eliminate arsenic and render them edible. Who knows what other traditional practises may offer scientific insights today?

Green mental health

Getting out into nature helps people improve their mental health – and bringing nature back into our cities can reduce crime.

The myths of mankind

However much modernity prides itself on a rational, scientific world view, human culture has been built on a rich tapestry of myths and story telling.

Heads in the sand

Ostriches don’t actually bury their head in the sand, but 40% of people do, choosing to remain ignorant of the world around them to absolve themselves of moral responsibility.

Moral fights

Our commitments to moral values can hamper rather than motivate progress towards basic humanitarian goals, indeed, moral motivations frequently exacerbate rather than relieve suffering, injustice and hatred.

We want to believe

Driving some of humanities greatest achievements and worst atrocities, belief is a genuinely curious and perplexing phenomenon, showing many different faces to the world.