X CLOSE
TherapeiaEudaimoniaPoiesis
AboutContact
Search
Menu
Psyche
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN
Ideas

Freedom and choice

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
AgeingChange and self-developmentChildhood and adolescenceCompassion and empathyConsciousnessDeath and dyingDecision-makingDisabilityEmotion regulationEmotionsFocus and attentionFreedom and choiceGenderGoals and motivationHabits and routinesHappinessHistory of emotionsHistory of ideasHuman evolutionHuman natureIdentityJoyKnowledge and reasonLearning and educationLife stagesMemoirMemory and nostalgiaMind and brainNeurosciencePersonalityResilience and flexibilitySex and sexualitySleep and dreamsSocial historyThe body and physical healthThe selfThinkers and theoriesThinking and intelligence
LatestPopular
Charlie Chaplin and Chester Conklin, dressed in overalls, scratch their heads, standing in front of large industrial gears and machinery in a black-and-white scene.

Freedom and choice

idea

Why Charlie Chaplin was an ‘angel of peace’ for Walter Benjamin

Though a tramp and a misfit, Chaplin’s world fit him like a glove. His life of contingency appealed to the émigré Benjamin

by Eli Friedlander

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

A rotating antique globe in brass and other materials seen from above

Freedom and choice

idea

Recognise free will is an illusion and reap the emotional benefits

The idea that all our choices are determined by past events may seem dispiriting – but it can be emotionally liberating

by Francis Merson

Person diving into an icy blue waterhole amidst a frozen landscape, with scattered ice chunks and a stack of icy blocks nearby.

Freedom and choice

idea

The three reasons why it’s good for you to believe in free will

Regardless of whether humans do or don’t have free will, psychological research shows it’s beneficial to act as if you do

by Kennon Sheldon

A woman sitting inside a red double-decker bus at night, with a busy street and shops in the background.

Freedom and choice

idea

Why not driving is my own form of resistance

As romantic petrochemical-fuelled narratives slip into the past, I’ve found my own kind of freedom in a life without a car

by Vicky Grut

A wooden box filled with vintage black-and-white photographs, showing portraits and various scenes, some faded with age.

Parenting and families

idea

I’m childfree by choice. Should I feel guilty about ending my line?

My uterus is not my ancestors’ vessel for future progeny. What’s the impact of my choice on my family’s genetic lineage?

by Starre Vartan

Cover art of a science fiction magazine showing a man in a spacesuit contemplating a pill with food images behind him.

Food and drink

idea

What our fantasies about futuristic food say about us

Once ‘future foods’ were powdered and automatic, but times change and today they have become about speed and social justice

by Kelly Alexander

Black and white photo of a topless person covering their chest with a hand wearing a bracelet.

The body and physical health

idea

I chose to go flat after breast cancer surgery. I have no regrets

Breast reconstruction following surgery to remove cancer owes more to the cosmetic industry than to medical science

by Sarah Cretch

Photo of a classroom with young students seated at desks, facing a teacher. Colourful educational posters on the walls.

Values and beliefs

idea

Teaching tolerance in schools cannot avoid controversy

If tolerance of different values, lifestyles and creeds is an aim of education, how should schools teach it to children?

by Christina Easton

Black and white photo of two men, one in military uniform leaning over the other, who sits looking serious.

Freedom and choice

idea

Brainwashing has a grim history that we shouldn’t dismiss

Scientific research and historical accounts can help us identify and dissect the threat of ‘coercive persuasion’

by Joel E Dimsdale

Photo of three people admiring a large manatee sculpture in an art gallery.

Knowledge and reason

idea

Dare to speak your mind and together we flourish

Reason emerges through dialogue with others. To truly flourish, stop self-censoring and risk your status to speak your mind

by Hrishikesh Joshi

Photo of children sitting at a wooden desk in a classroom with drawings on the wall.

Learning and education

idea

Why I shut down an argument in my philosophy for children class

To provide the free, open conditions needed to do philosophy for children can sometimes mean restricting what gets said

by Amy Reed-Sandoval