Building on the tremendous success of our earlier publishing Project funded by the Templeton Religion Trust (TRT), Aeon proposes a four-part publishing Program, maximising the overlap between Templeton’s Funding Areas, Aeon’s editorial themes, and our particular, highly developed expertise in working with researchers to communicate their findings and theories to a wide public audience.
Research in fundamental physics, cosmology, consciousness and psychology has enormous importance for the future of humanity, yet it can be difficult to communicate not only to everyday readers, but to young people in education and those involved in policy. This Project has an important ambition to publish scholars working at the very edge of these fields.
Through the publication of 16 long-form Essays (2,500-4,000 words); 16 more immediate Ideas (1,000 words) and 4 innovative original videos, the Project will investigate compelling questions such as:
What can be gained from a dialogue between physics and philosophy on the leading edge of fundamental physics and cosmology?
How is new evolutionary theory enriching our understanding of the story of life on Earth?
Where is cognitive science and philosophy of mind taking us in our understanding of consciousness and creativity?
What are the emerging connections between spiritual practices, ethics and mental health?
Uniquely, the Project will traverse four of the Big Questions and explore the intersections between them. The Project will commission 32 scholars/writers including early career scholars and those from diverse disciplines and Templeton-funded researchers. For many, publication on Aeon will be the first time they have presented their work to a general public.
Aeon’s large global readership; established republishing program; and large newsletter and social media following will provide immediate exposure for the authors involved and raise the profile of these important questions for longer-term engagement.
