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 latest and most popular Essays from Aeon. Longform articles on philosophy, psychology, science, society, history and the arts, written by the world’s leading thinkers.

Aug 21, 2025 · Data has created a new and paradoxical social order: the promise of emancipation is made possible by classifying everything

Aug 22, 2025 · Writing for Aeon gave me the chance to take a step back from this technical mode and return, straightforwardly, to the startlingly simple revelation which inspired it: in the 20th century, the …

Mar 23, 2026 · Between 1603 and 1868, Japan entered an era of unified rule and isolation known as the Edo period, named after the city of Edo – modern-day Tokyo – which was the seat of government. …

Feb 19, 2026 · Your inability to focus isn’t a failing. It’s a design problem, and the answer isn’t getting rid of our screen time

Mar 10, 2026 · Franz Boas helps us solve the puzzle of where our emotional lives originate: in our selves or in the cultures around us

Mar 3, 2026 · Whole regions of the world are now uninsurable, bringing radical uncertainty to the economy. How do we fix the problem?

Mar 27, 2026 · As prediction markets turn disasters into tradable bets, what do we lose? This essay explores the real cost of monetising weather catastrophes.

Apr 7, 2026 · Our culture valorises the big, coherent self: reading Robert Musil helps me embrace the beauty of my no-self existence