X CLOSE
TherapeiaEudaimoniaPoiesis
AboutContact
Search
Menu
Psyche
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN
Ideas

Bioethics

Disorders and difficultiesTherapies and practical advicePerspectives and controversies
Self-knowledge and personal growthRelationships, work and leisureValues and ethical living
Creativity and the artsSpirituality and transcendence
BioethicsCivic lifeCultural diversityEthicsFairness and equalityHuman rights and justiceMeaning and the good lifeNature and the environmentNeurodiversityProgress and the futureRace and ethnicityValues and beliefsVirtues and vicesWisdom
LatestPopular
Photo of a newborn baby wearing a pink wristband and clothes wrapped in a green blanket, sleeping peacefully.

Consciousness

idea

When does the first spark of human consciousness ignite?

We can’t ask babies what they’re feeling, but ingenious new methods are shedding light on the origins of subjective awareness

by Joel Frohlich

A dark-skinned hand with a pulse oximeter on a finger displaying 98% oxygen saturation and 84 bpm on a grey countertop.

Bioethics

idea

Some medical devices don’t mean to be racist, but they are

Oppression can get built into anything, including medical devices. How do they influence us, and what can we do about them?

by Vanessa Carbonell & Shen-yi Liao

A glass container with a domed lid on display, with blurred silhouettes of people in the background.

Bioethics

idea

When does a human embryo have the moral status of a person?

Weighing up the science and the ethics of research on human embryos beyond its current 14-day restrictions

by David Cox

An illustrated medieval courtroom with a sow and piglets on trial, people observing, and officials judging from a raised platform.

Animals

idea

If animals are persons, should they bear criminal responsibility?

Were medieval trials of animal criminals not a sign of backwardness, but in fact strangely progressive?

by Ed Simon

Close-up of a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, and sauce in a sesame seed bun.

Ethics

idea

A fake-meat burger, a sex doll and a thought experiment

How is enjoying a burger, even if it’s one made of fake meat, different from enjoying a female, even if she’s a sex doll?

by Rebecca Lowe

Photo of an earthworm on rough grey asphalt surface with visible texture and sunlight casting shadows.

Bioethics

idea

Why, in a universe of pain, I’m saving stranded earthworms

Any action can seem futile amid so much suffering. I’ve realised the important thing is to stop despairing and do something

by Claire E Schultz

Colourful brain activity scan with red, green, and purple regions, depicted against a black background.

Neuroscience

idea

Brain scans look stunning, but what do they actually mean?

Functional brain scans are a valuable tool but their meaning must be interpreted with caution and scepticism

by Danielle Carr

A wooden box filled with vintage black-and-white photographs, showing portraits and various scenes, some faded with age.

Parenting and families

idea

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

A monkey in a metal cage looking over its shoulder with a sad facial expression. The cage bars are prominent in the background.

Animals

idea

My cancer scars map the pain of animals held in research labs

The scars on my body are a constant reminder of why I’ve turned from scholarship on animals to agitating for animals

by Barbara J King