Don’t be stoic: Roman Stoicism’s origins show its perniciousness
Stoicism might help you as an individual. But we need a philosophy that doesn’t dull us to the injustices of the world
by Henry Gruber
History of ideas
Neuroscience has much to learn from Hume’s philosophy of emotions
According to philosopher David Hume, it takes a lifetime to get our emotions right. Neuroscience has much to learn from him
by Richard C Sha
How to read philosophy
The first thing to remember is that the great philosophers were only human. Then you can start disagreeing with them
by Charlie Huenemann
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
Ancient Indian texts reveal the liberating power of metaphysics
Indian metaphysics presented a philosophical route to a higher level of existence beyond limits of space and time
by Jessica Frazier
To Karl Jaspers, uncertainty is not to be overcome but understood
The existentialist Karl Jaspers believed uncertainty ungirds human existence: better to recognise this than rage against it
by Carmen Lea Dege
Anxiety isn’t a pathology. It drives us to push back the unknown
‘I’m anxious, therefore I enquire.’ Anxiety isn’t a problem to be solved; it drives philosophical enquiry and makes us human
by Samir Chopra
Pseudophilosophy encourages confused, self-indulgent thinking
Pseudophilosophy can result from simple misunderstanding or wilful obscurity. The cure is basic critical thinking skills
by Victor Moberger
Simone de Beauvoir recommends we fight for ourselves as we age
Old age, for Simone de Beauvoir, is not shameful or frightening but should be celebrated as an opportunity to be authentic
by Skye C Cleary
How the ancient philosophers imagined the end of the world
How the ancient Greeks and Romans imagined the end of the world, and what we can learn from them today about catastrophe
by Christopher Star
How to think differently about love
Poets, philosophers and scientists all tell stories about the nature of romantic love. It can be liberating to critique them
by Arina Pismenny
How to deconstruct the world
Don’t believe everything you hear, read and watch. To puncture received ideas about culture, start thinking like Jacques Derrida
by Peter Salmon
The radical aristocrat who put kindness on a scientific footing
Peter Kropotkin took on social Darwinism, casting evolution in a cooperative light and laying the groundwork for mutual aid
by Lydia Syson
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
How to think about time
This philosopher’s introduction to the nature of time could radically alter how you see your past and imagine your future
by Graeme A Forbes
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