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Ideas

Imagination

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Blurry photo of a seascape with a cloudy sky, calm water, and a sandy shore with rocks and patches of green algae.

Neurodiversity

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I have no mind’s eye: let me try to describe it for you

With aphantasia, my mind’s eye sees only darkness, not images. It’s like missing a sense, and only imagination can compensate

by Neesa Sunar

Painting of large trees with exposed roots in a verdant forest, a wooden fence and a distant cabin partially obscured by foliage in the background.

Imagination

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Aphantasia can be a gift to philosophers and critics like me

Aphantasia veils the past and the future from the mind’s eye. That can be a gift to philosophers like Derek Parfit and me

by Mette Leonard Høeg

A man playing the violin in an architectural setting with mosaic pillars and a couple of people walking in the background.

Music

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Music is a philosophy, rich in ideas that language cannot say

Musical thinking offers a means for composing our lives and a philosophical foundation that embraces both sound and silence

by Xenia Hanusiak

Photo of a blue sky with scattered white clouds and larger clouds forming on one side.

Imagination

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See faces in the clouds? It might be a sign of your creativity

Long considered a sign of mental illness, ‘pareidolia’ or seeing patterns in randomness might be a useful measure of creativity

by René Müri & Nicole Göbel

Medieval illuminated manuscript painting of a monk touching a woman beside an outhouse and a tree, with decorative text above.

Stories and literature

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Get medieval on your haters: lessons from Beowulf and Chaucer

When your reputation is at stake, get medieval on your haters: lessons from Beowulf, Margery Kempe and Geoffrey Chaucer

by Irina Dumitrescu

Impressionist painting of a family in a garden, with a child learning to walk, assisted by an adult, as another adult crouches down with outstretched arms.

Values and beliefs

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A philosophical approach can help you identify what truly matters

We’re often taught to live according to our values, but this is easier said than done without pausing to reflect deeply

by Valerie Tiberius

A person standing and looking at a large, detailed projection of the cracked surface of the Mona Lisa’s face.

Philosophy of art

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Engaging with an artwork leaves you and the art transformed

When you engage with an artwork, a form of cognitive coupling takes place in which your mind and the art are transformed

by Miranda Anderson

Two people look at a scientifically based recreation of a Neanderthal man’s head, adorned with feathers and fur, enclosed in a glass case at a museum. The setting is under strong indoor lighting with a blue wall background.

Communication and language

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This is what a Neanderthal conversation would have sounded like

Neanderthals had language, but it differed from ours in an important way that could help explain our superior art and tech

by Steven Mithen

A grey car is parked next to a purple brick wall with some plants growing at the base. The sky is overcast and buildings are in the background.

Mind and brain

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This is how your brain distinguishes reality from imagination

In terms of brain activity, imagining something is very similar to seeing it, so why don’t you confuse the two more often?

by Shayla Love

A colourful mosaic composed of various broken ceramic tiles with intricate floral and geometric patterns.

The self

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You’re not a computer, you’re a tiny stone in a beautiful mosaic

Let’s ditch talk of computers and bank accounts. Positive mind-metaphors emphasise our embodied inter-connectedness

by Anna Katharina Schaffner

Illustration of a blond man in medieval attire watching a blonde woman in a pink dress reclining on a bed, surrounded by flowers.

Stories and literature

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Young women were the true originators of the Grimms’ Tales

Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella – the old fairy tales are full of female lust and hope, and most were told by women

by Christine Lehnen

Vintage image of a woman and a man looking fearful in front of sheet music, while a shadowy figure with a gun and bouquet looms in the background.

Stories and literature

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Why the concept of invisibility so captivates the imagination

From ancient fables to the latest science theory, invisibility represents some of humankind’s deepest fears and desires

by Greg Gbur