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
Thinkers and theories
idea
How the feminist philosopher Helene Stöcker canonised Nietzsche
Despite Nietzsche’s reputation for misogyny, his work inspired a leading women’s rights activist of the early 20th century
by Lydia Moland
Knowledge and reason
idea
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
Psychoanalysis and the unconscious
idea
For Jung, architecture was a tool to represent the psyche
Carl Jung’s approach to architecture is a provocation: how are we creating spaces for the forgotten dimensions of our minds?
by David Borkenhagen
Technology and media
idea
The illusion of closeness: how social media redefined respect
As we share and like and post, have our notions of restraint transformed so profoundly that all dignity becomes abandoned?
by Lutif Ali Halo
Knowledge and reason
idea
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
Learning and education
idea
Lessons about learning from ancient Greek philosophers
What Aristotle and Epicurus can teach us about learning through collaboration, movement, place and embodiment
by Tom Bielik
The self
idea
When Nietzsche said ‘become who you are’, this is what he meant
Behind the philosopher’s cryptic phrase is an invocation to sculpt your ideal self out of the hard stone of your psyche
by Ryan A Bush
Thinkers and theories
idea
Learning to be a loser: a philosopher’s case for doing nothing
For Emil Cioran, a life devoid of action, practical ambitions and busyness is a life in which room has been made for meaning
by Costica Bradatan
The nature of reality
idea
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
Thinkers and theories
idea
For Nietzsche, nihilism goes deeper than ‘life is pointless’
For Friedrich Nietzsche, nihilism is a terrible psychological problem – a coping mechanism with deadly consequences
by Kaitlyn Creasy