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Communication and language

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

Knowledge and reason

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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