While the word religion is difficult to define and understand, one standard model of religion that is used in religious studies courses defines it as [a] system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic. Many religions have their own narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws, or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, or ultimate concerns. The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with the words "faith" or "belief system", but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most...

The philosophy of happiness is the philosophical concern with the existence, nature, and attainment of happiness. Some philosophers believe happiness can be understood as the moral goal of life or as an aspect of chance; indeed, in most European languages the term happiness is synonymous with luck. Thus, philosophers usually explicate on happiness as either a state of mind, or a life that goes well for the person leading it. Given the pragmatic concern for the attainment of happiness, research in psychology has guided many modern-day philosophers in developing their theories. Ancient Greece Democritus Democritus (c. 460 – c. 370 BC) is known as the 'laughing philosopher' because of his emphasis on the value of 'cheerfulness'. Plato Plato (c. 428 – c. 347 BCE) teaches in the Republic that a life committed to knowledge and virtue will result in happiness and self-realization. To achieve happiness, one should become immune to changes in the material world and strive to gain the knowledge of the eternal, immutable...

In the video game industry, 2023 saw significant changes within larger publishers and developers. Microsoft, after having satisfied worldwide regulatory bodies, completed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, making them the third largest game publisher in the world. Embracer Group, which had been in an acquisition spree over the previous few years, had an estimated $2 billion deal fall through, causing many of the studios under Embracer to either lay off staff or close entirely. Similar layoffs were seen at Unity, Amazon, ByteDance, Epic Games, Bungie, and Ubisoft, leading to over 9,000 jobs lost in the industry in 2023 and part of a larger trend of layoffs at technology companies in 2023. Financial performance Best-selling premium games by region The following titles were 2023's top ten best-selling premium games by region (excluding microtransactions and free-to-play titles) on PC and console platforms, for Japan, the United States, and Europe. Top-rated games...

This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise more specific sub-categories. Classical Andalusian classical music Indian classical music Korean court music Persian classical music Kurdish classical music Ottoman music (Classical Turkish music) Western classical music Early music Medieval music (500–1400) Ars antiqua (1170–1310) Ars nova (1310–1377) Ars subtilior (1360–1420) Renaissance music (1400–1600) Common practice period (1600-1900) Baroque music (1600–1750) Galant music (1720–1770) Classical period (1750–1820) Romantic music (1780–1910) 20th and 21st-centuries classical music (1900–present): Modernism (1890–1930) Impressionism (1875 or 1890–1925) Neoclassicism (1920–1950) High modernism...

There are currently various proposed space probes to focus on the exploration of the Solar System. For planned missions to the Moon see the dedicated list of missions to the Moon, with its section future missions. Launched probes are in the List of Solar System probes and the List of active Solar System probes. Scheduled missions Proposed missions Suspended missions The following missions were suspended or cancelled because of political, budgetary, or other reasons. The spacecraft were already assembled at the time of suspension/cancellation, so these missions can be resumed. See also Timeline of Solar System exploration Planned space telescopes Proposed space telescopes Planned heliophysics missions Planned Earth observation satellites Planned Moon missions Planned Venus missions Planned Mars missions Planned outer planets missions Future visits of minor planets and comets Future and proposed missions...

Social movements are groupings of individuals or organizations which focus on political or social issues. This list excludes the following: Artistic movements: see list of art movements. Independence movements: see lists of active separatist movements and list of historical separatist movements Revolutionary movements: see List of revolutions and rebellions Religious and spiritual movements: see List of religions and spiritual traditions and List of new religious movements List References External links ASA section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Mobilization journal Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Changejournal Social Movement Studies: Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest Interface: a Journal For and About Social Movements Social Movements: A Summary of What Works (pdf)

Writing genres (more commonly known as literary genres) are categories that distinguish literature (including works of prose, poetry, drama, hybrid forms, etc.) based on some set of stylistic criteria. Sharing literary conventions, they typically consist of similarities in theme/topic, style, tropes, and storytelling devices; common settings and character types; and/or formulaic patterns of character interactions and events, and an overall predictable form. A literary genre may fall under either one of two categories: (a) a work of fiction, involving non-factual descriptions and events invented by the author; or (b) a work of nonfiction, in which descriptions and events are understood to be factual. In literature, a work of fiction can refer to a flash narrative, short story, novella, and novel, the latter being the longest form of literary prose. Every work of fiction falls into a literary subgenre, each with its own style, tone, and storytelling devices. Moreover, these genres are formed by shared literary conventions that change over time as new genres emerge while others fade. Accordingly, they are often...

The following list of best-selling music artists includes musical artists from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. The tables list artists in descending order by claimed sales; artists with equal claimed sales are ranked by certified units. The claimed-sales and certified-unit figures include sales of albums, singles, compilation albums, and music videos as well as downloads of singles and full-length albums. Sales figures, such as those from SoundScan, which are sometimes published by Billboard magazine, are not included in the certified-units column. Definitions From 2011 to 2021, the number of Platinum certifications for songs grew at an average annual rate of 18%. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and almost all other certifying bodies count streaming towards Gold and Platinum thresholds required for certification. The RIAA counts 10 downloads of individual tracks as well as 1,500 audio/video streams as an equivalent to one unit of album, including those from singles released before the album release. Theoretically...

The climate change policy of the United States has major impacts on global climate change and global climate change mitigation. This is because the United States is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world after China, and is among the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person in the world. Cumulatively, the United States has emitted over a trillion metric tons of greenhouse gases, more than any country in the world. Climate change policy is developed at the state and federal levels of government. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines climate change as "any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time." Essentially, climate change includes major changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns, as well as other effects, that occur over several decades or longer. The policy with the biggest US investment in climate change mitigation is the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The politics of climate change have polarized certain political parties and other organizations. The Democratic Party advocates for an expansion...

The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century is a list compiled in June 2025 by The New York Times, chosen by a voting poll of over 500 directors, actors and others around the world. The list's no-paywall link was publicly shared by the NYT's official Reddit account. Top 40 Results In the list, 45 films belong to the first decade of this century (2000-2009), 33 films between 2010 and 2019 and 22 films between 2019 and 2025. The majority of films in the list come from USA, followed by Europe (mostly United Kingdom and France), Asia (mostly South Korea and Japan) and Latin America (mainly Brazil). Bong Joon Ho's Parasite was voted as the top pick on both the original and readers' polls, as was the second top pick, David Lynch's 2001 neo-noir Mulholland Drive. Only ten films from the list have won the Academy Award for Best Picture: Parasite (1st), Moonlight (5th), No Country for Old Men (6th), The Departed (31st), 12 Years a Slave (51st), Oppenheimer (65th), Spotlight (66th...