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Sigal Samuel

Sigal Samuel

Senior Reporter

Sigal Samuel is a senior reporter for Vox’s Future Perfect. She writes primarily about the future of consciousness, tracking advances in artificial intelligence and neuroscience and their staggering ethical implications. She also writes the philosophical advice column Your Mileage May Vary. (To submit a question anonymously, click here.)

Before joining Vox, Sigal was the religion editor at the Atlantic. Her work has also been published in outlets like BuzzFeed, the Daily Beast, the Rumpus, and Electric Literature. She has appeared on NPR, BBC, and CBC. Sigal is also the author of two award-winning books. Osnat and Her Dove, a children’s book, tells the true story of the world’s first female rabbi. The Mystics of Mile End, a novel, tells the story of a dysfunctional family dealing with mysticism, madness, and mathematics in Montreal. Sigal earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and her BA in philosophy from McGill University. Learn more about Sigal here.

Sigal can be reached by email at sigal.samuel@vox.com. Follow her on X at @sigalsamuel or on Bluesky at @sigalsamuel.bsky.social.

Ethics Statement

Future Perfect coverage may include stories about organizations that writers have made personal donations to. This does not in any way affect the editorial independence of our coverage, and this information will be disclosed clearly when relevant.

Future Perfect is supported in part by grants from foundations and individual donors. Future Perfect prizes its editorial independence, and all editorial decisions are made separately from fundraising and commercial considerations. See Vox’s ethics and guidelines for more.

Latest articles by Sigal Samuel

Future Perfect
Am I too poor to have a baby?Am I too poor to have a baby?
Future Perfect

How society convinced us that childbearing is morally wrong without a fat budget.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
How can you prepare your kids for AI’s disruption to the job market?How can you prepare your kids for AI’s disruption to the job market?
Future Perfect

Hint: The best educational choice you can make for your child might not focus on your child at all.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel
The Highlight
Is it wrong to send your kid to private school?Is it wrong to send your kid to private school?
The Highlight

How to think about what’s best for your child — and for all the other children, too.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
Do you need to know who you’d be without antidepressants?Do you need to know who you’d be without antidepressants?
Future Perfect

After years on psychiatric drugs, some ask if they owe it to themselves to try coming off the medication.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
4 ways people try to make their lives meaningful — and the one that works best for you4 ways people try to make their lives meaningful — and the one that works best for you
Future Perfect

A new theory about why human beings evolved the need to feel purpose.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
A guide to finding meaning at work in the age of AIA guide to finding meaning at work in the age of AI
Future Perfect

You don’t have to give up on a profession you love and become a plumber.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
The honest conversation about antidepressants I wish my psychiatrist had with meThe honest conversation about antidepressants I wish my psychiatrist had with me
Future Perfect

How to think about long-term use, dependence, and withdrawal — according to a professional.

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
The one question everyone should be asking after OpenAI’s deal with the PentagonThe one question everyone should be asking after OpenAI’s deal with the Pentagon
Future Perfect

The US said we can’t afford to let a surveillance state like China win the AI race. Well...

By Sigal Samuel
Future Perfect
Why people are craving a different kind of therapy right nowWhy people are craving a different kind of therapy right now
Future Perfect

A psychiatrist explains why Internal Family Systems is having a moment, despite its lack of evidence.

By Sigal Samuel