X CLOSE
TherapeiaEudaimoniaPoiesis
AboutContact
Search
Menu
Psyche
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN
Ideas

Communication and language

Disorders and difficultiesTherapies and practical advicePerspectives and controversies
Self-knowledge and personal growthRelationships, work and leisureValues and ethical living
Creativity and the artsSpirituality and transcendence
AnimalsCaregivingCommunication and languageCommunityConflict and conflict resolutionCooperation and collaborationFood and drinkForgivenessFriendshipHomeLoveMoney and economicsParenting and familiesPlacePleasures and pastimesSports and gamesTechnology and mediaTravelWork and vocation
LatestPopular
Two people sit on a wooden park bench, one with an arm around the other, with fallen leaves scattered on the ground in front of them.

Communication and language

idea

Why that hard conversation will probably go better than you think

If you’ve delayed raising a touchy issue, fearing it will backfire, new research could give you the confidence you need

by Matt Huston

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

idea

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

Three humpback whales viewed underwater

Music

idea

I learned to hear the music of Earth’s underwater musicians

If we consider the sounds of whales and other organisms with an open mind, we find a strange beauty – and can even join in

by David Rothenberg

Graffiti in French reading “L’ART C’EST DE LA MERDE” is painted on a concrete wall. The words are written in black, casual handwriting, with a smaller, less legible text scribbled underneath. A piece of paper is fixed to the top right side of the wall.

Communication and language

idea

Censoring offensive language threatens our freedom to think

The modern obsession with textual purity stems from a misapplication of the philosophies of Wittgenstein and Derrida

by Paul Ham

Ancient stone statue with three interconnected faces sharing one head, displaying neutral expressions, on a plain background.

Knowledge and reason

idea

Ancient Greek antilogic is the craft of suspending judgment

Sophists like Protagoras used the rhetoric of antilogic to escape from the illusion of truth and make room for uncertainty

by Robin Reames

Illustration of a person listening with a hand cupped to their ear, surrounded by soft pastel colours.

Communication and language

idea

Why listening well can make disagreements less damaging

Offering undivided attention and curiosity not only lowers the temperature of a conversation but can change its outcome

by Guy Itzchakov

Close-up of a tattooed hand with the numbers “1488” across the fingers and other tattoos on the back of the hand and wrist, wearing blue jeans.

Communication and language

idea

Beyond dogwhistles – racists have a new rhetorical trick

How are so many politicians today able to get away with overtly racist utterances? By using rhetorical ‘figleaves’

by Jennifer Saul

Students in a library, studying at their own private desk in cubicles or at a communal table

Virtues and vices

idea

Why so many plagiarists are in denial about what they did wrong

So often people claim ‘I didn’t mean to’, yet they fail to realise that plagiarism is more like speeding than theft

by Philip Reed

People of different ages and genders sitting on park benches, some chatting, some looking at their smartphones

Technology and media

idea

The illusion of closeness: how social media redefined respect

As we share and like and post, have our notions of restraint transformed so profoundly that all dignity becomes abandoned?

by Lutif Ali Halo

A woman seen from behind is advising another woman on something. They are standing at the edge of a wide road

Communication and language

idea

Recognise the point of giving advice and you can do it better

A philosophical look at advising highlights what makes it a distinct form of interaction – and why it often goes wrong

by Joshua Habgood-Coote

A man and a woman laughing together in a restaurant

Communication and language

idea

Why it takes humour to sustain a long-term relationship

Maintaining a long and happy relationship requires a specific skillset. Learning to laugh at yourself and together is key

by Enrico Gnaulati

A family are drawn on the left hand page of an open copy of Freud’s book the Interpretation of dreams. On the right hand page is a drawing of ananaconda

Sleep and dreams

idea

The reason we dream might be to bring us closer together

Research has tended to focus on what dreams do for us when we’re sleeping – but what if the benefits play out the next day?

by Mark Blagrove