Thinkers and theories
Love
idea
It’s possible to become wiser in who you entrust with your love
Love is not merely irrational – there’s a sense in which it’s also based on reason, which means we can get better at it
by Joel Van Fossen
Communication and language
idea
For this unsung philosopher, metaphors make life an adventure
Susanne K Langer understood the indispensable power of metaphors, which allow us to say new things with old words
by Sue Curry Jansen & Jeff Pooley
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
Stories and literature
idea
Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back
Our stories help us make sense of a chaotic world, but they can be harmful and restrictive. There’s a liberating alternative
by Karen Simecek
Rituals and celebrations
idea
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
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
Thinkers and theories
idea
Why I’ll never forget the day I met Daniel Kahneman for lunch
He was an octogenarian Nobel-winning psychologist, I was a nervous 20-something film producer. Here’s what struck me most
by Namir Khaliq
Psychoanalysis and the unconscious
idea
Three ways to get in touch with your Shadow self
Jung believed we all have a Shadow self. Facing up to it could help you live more fully and be more forgiving of others
by Ruth Williams
Thinking and intelligence
idea
Philosophical reflection often begins with a disruptive mood
For many of our greatest philosophers, it was their moods, from wonder to estrangement to anxiety, that first inspired them
by Steven Segal
Dance
idea
How dance taught me to embrace my deformity
In the raw style of Tanztheater, I found a way to take my poetry into the physical world and express myself authentically
by Billy Gigurtsis
Altered states
idea
William James was right about our strange inner experiences
Rather than Freud’s cynicism or Jung’s enthusiasm, we need an inquisitive approach to unusual forms of consciousness
by David Yaden
Altered states
idea
The small pleasures in life can produce moments of rapture
Rapture is a delight that turns us both towards the object of attention and towards oneself, resulting in a sense of freedom
by Christopher Hamilton