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History of ideas

Photo of a man sunbathing on a rooftop next to a large satellite dish.

Progress and the future

idea

Why it’s possible to be optimistic in a world of bad news

The original optimist, Leibniz, was mocked and misunderstood. Centuries later, his worldview can help us navigate modern life

by Sumit Paul-Choudhury

Painting with surreal figures including a fish-headed person and abstract human forms with a dark sky.

Communication and language

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Let me open a treasure chest to explain how metaphor works

Once maligned by philosophers, metaphors are a key communication tool for extending the power of literal speech

by Elek Lane

Scene from a film with three characters walking from a futuristic spacecraft in a city setting.

Progress and the future

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We need the toolkit of utopian thinking, now more than ever

Many dismiss utopian ideas. But imagining a better world is a vital political skill for tackling today’s challenges

by Caitlin Rajan

Social history

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Bunkerised society – why prepping for end times is so American

Millions are preparing for doomsday, not together, but by closing the hatch. It’s a logical response to a hollowed-out state

by Robert Kirsch & Emily Ray

Woman seated at a cafeteria table reading a book, with her shoes kicked off.

The body and physical health

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In defence of slouching: the bad science behind good posture

The idea that we should all stand straight is widely accepted. But this modern obsession has dubious origins

by Beth Linker

An ancient Greek clay jug with red stripes and inscriptions against a dark background.

Communication and language

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I am an article about the speaking objects of ancient Greece

Talkative drinking cups and threatening oil flasks tell us how the written word asserted its authority in an oral society

by Teddy Fassberg

Photo of sunlit green leaves and branches against a bright blue sky.

Wonder and the sublime

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The most profound wonder is stirred by what is most ordinary

Rare moments of wonder at the mere existence of things – rather than the dramatic or new – involve perceiving with the soul

by Maria Balaska

Ancient marble statue of a headless Hermaphroditus, draped lower garment, against a plain background.

Gender

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There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity

From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary

by Chris Wheatley

Painting of a crowded casino table with people playing cards and roulette. Green table and overhead light dominate the scene.

Knowledge and reason

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What we gain by recognising the role of chance in life

Appreciating the world is random can foster perseverance, gratitude for our own luck and empathy for the plight of others

by Mark R Rank

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 a person standing before a large, colourful cosmic map display with clumps of blue and orange speckles.

Virtues and vices

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The medieval notion that shows why even experts should be humble

Nicholas of Cusa and others saw the importance of ‘learned ignorance’ or recognising there is always something more to learn

by Christopher M Bellitto

Photo of yellow tulips and pink flowers in soft focus, showing petals in detail with a blurred background.

History of ideas

idea

I smell, therefore I am. On the philosophy of the olfactory

To truly grip us, philosophy must engage with the practical and animalistic. It’s time to stop turning its nose up at smell

by Simon Hajdini