Rituals and celebrations
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For Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path
Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge?
by Sam Woodward
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
Emotions
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How ‘feelings about thinking’ help us navigate our world
The pleasant feeling of knowing, the frustration of forgetting, and other ‘metacognitive feelings’ serve as unsung guides
by Pablo Fernandez Velasco & Slawa Loev
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
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
Knowledge and reason
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How Nietzsche’s insights can help fight fanaticism
Fanatical thinking is based on a narrative of resentment toward outgroups. Nietzsche offers two ways of changing the script
by Paul Katsafanas
Worry and rumination
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If thinking is rational, what makes overthinking irrational?
A philosophical perspective on overthinking offers fresh insights into the mental processes involved in anxiety and OCD
by Pablo Hubacher Haerle
Meaning and the good life
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You can be a materialist and find meaning in the universe
My hard-nosed materialism led me to an existential crisis, but then I realised the difference between science and scientism
by Jessica Tracy
Technology and media
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Chatbots remind us that natural conversation is artificial too
People fret about the authenticity of AI chatbots but precisely the same issues confront everyday exchanges between humans
by Larry S McGrath
Knowledge and reason
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Reason is a powerful tool, but it pays to know its limits
As a philosophy student, I was bewitched by the power of reason – but my life is freer since I escaped from its spell
by Pranay Sanklecha
The nature of reality
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Uncertainty isn’t a human flaw, it’s a feature of the world
They bring contrasting perspectives, but a literary scholar and a physicist agree on the wisdom of embracing uncertainty
by Richard C Sha & Nathan Harshman
Learning and education
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Perplexed? Embrace it! Confusion is a symptom of learning
Perplexed? Embrace it! Confusion is a sign of learning, but the key is finding the sweet spot of productive confusion
by Juliette Vazard