Ethics
![Close-up of a stone sculpture of a man’s face with detailed features, set against a plain background. The expression appears solemn.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9e900ae3-e033-4e0b-a4f2-ea18356aff2a/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
idea
Don’t be stoic: Roman Stoicism’s origins show its perniciousness
Stoicism might help you as an individual. But we need a philosophy that doesn’t dull us to the injustices of the world
by Henry Gruber
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/8c61b923-7c5e-479f-9e8c-7d1642fe825e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
idea
You want people to do the right thing? Save them the guilt trip
If you want to inspire people to do the right thing, don’t guilt-trip them. Positive emotions are a more powerful motivator
by Claudia R Schneider
![Clothes hanging and piled in a messy wardrobe, including colorful tops, dresses, and jackets, some on hangers, others folded and strewn.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/823ce019-20fb-421c-b9c3-3b95168645cf/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Home
guide
How to have less stuff
Do your possessions hold too much power over you? Learn to regain control – and benefit your wallet and the planet
by Melissa Norberg
![A person sits in a chair on the phone in an art gallery, with two large paintings in the background and paintbrushes visible in the foreground.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/07855a95-2a95-4d79-9c31-68d3031decd5/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Painting and sculpture
film
After years of struggle, an artist faces a new obstacle – staggering success
Directed by Titus Kaphar and Alex Mallis
![A countryside landscape with a homemade box sign reading “EGGS £1.00” in the foreground, surrounded by fields and trees.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/32ff5da2-94f7-4512-8452-9b4635624ad2/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Virtues and vices
idea
The virtue of honesty requires more than just telling the truth
Honesty has fallen out of fashion, yet it is essential to self-improvement. How can we cultivate this neglected virtue?
by Christian B Miller
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/2f9bb8b0-2d8c-42d3-94c8-18ddd7bbf460/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Traditional arts
idea
Could the art of ‘sashiko’ help to mend our frayed world?
The Japanese art of ‘sashiko’ celebrates the rough edges of life. Could this be the patchwork solution for our frayed selves?
by Melanie McGrath
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/643a0c3b-8481-475a-8bb3-d0b6d76525f6/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Food and drink
guide
How to enjoy coffee
Smooth like chocolate or fruity like a berry, coffee has as many tastes as wine or beer – you just need to know your beans
by Jessica Easto
![Person feeding hay to cows in a barn, with a brick building and fencing in the background on a cloudy day.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6527ad68-a473-42ae-8f73-b43596787663/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Ethics
film
A vegetarian with a beef farm faces a life-altering moral impasse
Directed by Alex Lockwood
![Chain-link fence with a “Private Property, No Trespassing” sign and distant industrial structures in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/96d641c7-c31f-4a9d-93df-7899e689771c/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Personality
idea
Your sense of right and wrong is interwoven with your personality
Personality traits such as agreeableness and openness to experience can help explain differences in moral judgment
by Luke D Smillie & Milan Andrejević
![A man in sportswear lies on the grass resting, surrounded by cycling gear, with people and bicycles in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9c05801c-91d7-45cc-ab2f-ccfd7b8a4e6d/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Change and self-development
idea
Why doing your best is sometimes the worst thing you can do
The injunction to ‘do your best’ can get in the way of moral self-development. Instead, plant deep roots and learn to wait
by Mavis Biss
![A black and white photograph of two people, seen from behind, embracing with one’s hands draped around the other’s neck.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cde63a19-3370-47cb-bffa-b1304e8552df/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Sex and sexuality
guide
How to explore ethical non-monogamy
Before enjoying the freedoms of a more open relationship, get a handle on the practical and emotional complexities ahead
by Meg Wilson