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Ideas

Virtues and vices

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Black and white photo of a military officer in profile wearing a uniform and cap against a blurred landscape background.

Thinking and intelligence

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Why some of the smartest people can be so very stupid

Struggling to understand is perfectly honourable. Being wilfully stupid is something else and we should strive to fix it

by Sacha Golob

Photo of a man and woman conversing beside a yellow taxi on a city street; the woman is holding the taxi door open.

Personality disorders

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What the new science of narcissism says about narcissists

What the new science of narcissism tells us about its nuances, and how to avoid its darts while gaining from its strengths

by W Keith Campbell & Carolyn Crist

Photo of a tattooed barber trimming a man’s hair in a striped cape, with a reflection in the mirror.

The self

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When your authenticity is an act, something’s gone wrong

Authenticity has changed from an inward gaze to a social display. Can we reconcile the performance with the real thing?

by Joseph E Davis

A countryside landscape with a homemade box sign reading “EGGS £1.00” in the foreground, surrounded by fields and trees.

Virtues and vices

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The virtue of honesty requires more than just telling the truth

Honesty has fallen out of fashion, yet it is essential to self-improvement. How can we cultivate this neglected virtue?

by Christian B Miller

Black and white photo of a woman at a desk with a typewriter and a phone, deep in thought, holding a pen to her cheek.

Personality

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Assertiveness is a virtue that anyone can develop with practice

You can’t stop people making demands on your time and energy, but you can develop assertiveness skills to protect yourself

by Rebecca Roache

Black and white photo of two policemen, a man in dark clothing, and a priest standing in a dimly lit setting.

Virtues and vices

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Are people with dark personality traits more likely to succeed?

Turn towards the light: contrary to popular belief, nice guys have more success and happiness in the long run

by Craig Neumann & Scott Barry Kaufman

Painting of a person in a hat smoking a cigarette, with a confident expression and a slightly tilted head.

Stories and literature

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Selfish, grumpy and unkind? That’s my kind of woman

Misanthropic female novelists and their characters make me hopeful for a future in which we shrug off feminine perfection

by Ellena Savage

Miniature painting of two men in traditional Persian attire, standing in a garden surrounded by trees with floral accents.

Virtues and vices

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Persianate ‘adab’ involves far more than elegant manners

Across 13th- to 19th-century Persianate culture, ‘adab’ meant more than manners – it was proper social and aesthetic form

by Mana Kia

Painting of elegantly dressed people at a party, one serving sandwiches to others who are smiling and holding plates.

Virtues and vices

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Be honest: little white lies are more harmful than you think

Even well-intentioned white lies can foster disconnection and distrust – openness and honesty really are the best policy

by Elena Svetieva & Leanne ten Brinke

Black-and-white photo of two men in hats conversing on a street, one very tall, the other short, with onlookers nearby.

Virtues and vices

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As the Ancient Greeks knew, frankness is an essential virtue

Who can speak truth to the leaders? The story of parrhesía, from classical Greece to Christian martyrs and beyond

by Hartmut Leppin

Abstract photo of colourful bokeh lights in red, green and yellow on a dark background.

Virtues and vices

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‘Moral molecules’ – a new theory of what goodness is made of

Seven basic moral elements could be the building blocks of morality, recombining as needed to form new moral molecules

by Oliver Scott Curry, Mark Alfano, Mark Brandt & Christine Pelican

Photo of a man in protective gear and mask outdoors at night with a van labelled ‘The Australian Sikh Association’ in background.

Ethics

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Sikh ethics sees self-centredness as the source of human evil

Sikhism places unity over individualism, offering a different perspective on the big questions of Western moral philosophy

by Keshav Singh