Why some of the smartest people can be so very stupid
Struggling to understand is perfectly honourable. Being wilfully stupid is something else and we should strive to fix it
by Sacha Golob
Popular Ideas
Expert insights, perspectives and provocations to stimulate your mind
One woman’s six-word mantra that has helped to calm millions
Ahead of her time, yet largely ignored by psychiatry, Claire Weekes taught millions of readers how to overcome anxiety
by Judith Hoare
Why it can be sublime to love someone who doesn’t love you back
Unrequited love might be bitter and painful, but it is also the ultimate expression of your humanity. Don’t fight it
by Alexandra Gustafson
Love shouldn’t be blind or mad. Instead, fall rationally in love
Blind, all-consuming love goes against your interests and impedes your flourishing. Submit your love to rational scrutiny
by Berit Brogaard
Why efficiency is dangerous and slowing down makes life better
The urge to do everything faster and better is risky. Far wiser to do what’s good enough for the range of possible futures
by Barry Schwartz
To be creative, Chinese philosophy teaches us to abandon ‘originality’
Whether grieving a death or connecting to colleagues, creativity enables an artful life, according to Chinese philosophy
by Julianne Chung
The reality of prostitution is not complex. It is simple
Prostitution is not sex and it’s not work. Its reality is far from complex – in fact, it’s simple. Trust me, I’ve done it
by Rachel Moran
Learning to be a loser: a philosopher’s case for doing nothing
For Emil Cioran, a life devoid of action, practical ambitions and busyness is a life in which room has been made for meaning
by Costica Bradatan
Introverts are excluded unfairly in an extraverts’ world
One in three people are introverts, physically present, but culturally absent. We shouldn’t have to change to be heard
by Noa Herz
The fungal mind: on the evidence for mushroom intelligence
The evidence for fungal intelligence is in: they can operate as individuals, make decisions, learn, and have short-term memory
by Nicholas P Money
What rude jibes about Caesar tell us about sex in ancient Rome
‘Every woman’s man and every man’s woman’ was a slur Julius Caesar’s political opponents levied. What did it mean?
by Aven McMaster
The best way to exercise self-control is not to exercise it at all
Accept it: your self-control is weak. You’re more likely to reach long-term goals if you find ways to avoid temptation
by Laverl Z Williamson
The Stoics were right – emotional control is good for the soul
Both neuroscience and psychotherapy agree that you can change your mental framework as the Stoic Marcus Aurelius described
by István Darabán
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
Lost perspective? Try this linguistic trick to reset your view
By using ‘distanced self-talk’, you can leverage the structure of language to take a step back and see the bigger picture
by Ariana Orvell
Talking out loud to yourself is a technology for thinking
Talking out loud to oneself is a technology for thinking that allows us to clarify and sharpen our approach to a problem
by Nana Ariel