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Freedom and choice

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Photo of a patient in surgery with head stabilised by a frame; medical staff holding instruments in the background.

Freedom and choice

idea

What removing large chunks of brain taught me about selfhood

I’ve cut brains in half, excised tumours – even removed entire lobes. The illusion of the self and free will survives it all

by Theodore H Schwartz

Photo of a red taxi with passengers in an urban setting, a sign saying “Life is War” visible in the background.

Freedom and choice

idea

Relationships are important, but so is feeling free to end them

Comparing ‘relational mobility’ and people’s average happiness across different cultures reveals some intriguing patterns

by Thomas Talhelm & Liuqing Wei

Black and white photo of two men in overalls standing before large industrial gears, each scratching his head.

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

Photo of a wall with graffiti in French reading “L’art c’est de la merde” meaning “Art is shit”.

Communication and language

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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

Photo of an antique celestial globe with brass armillary sphere detailing constellations on a decorative background.

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

Photo of a person diving into an ice hole on a frozen river landscape with ice chunks and distant trees visible.

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

Photo of a red double-decker bus in a city at dusk with a person reading inside pedestrians on the pavement.

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 photos, some faded, shown in an artistic photograph.

Parenting and families

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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

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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

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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

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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