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Freedom and choice

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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

Illustration of a man in a spacesuit contemplating a small pill; background features images of a naked woman and a steak.

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 person covering their bare chest with their hand, following a mastectomy without reconstructive surgery

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

Primary school classroom with children sitting at desks, listening attentively to a teacher. Colourful 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

Two men in black and white film scene: one in military uniform leaning over and talking to the other who is seated, looking apprehensive.

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

Three people interact with a large manatee sculpture in an art gallery, with colourful artwork in the background.

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

Children in a classroom seated at long desks, some writing or raising hands, with educational posters on the wall behind.

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