How to know what you really want
From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life
by Luke Burgis
Freedom and choice
In a pandemic we learn again what Sartre meant by being free
What the Nazi occupation was for Sartre, the COVID-19 pandemic is for us: an opportunity to relearn what it means to be free
by Julian Baggini
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
How to think about free will
You can’t escape cause and effect, but there is a way of viewing human agency that is motivating, plausible and humane
by Julian Baggini
Recognise free will is an illusion and reap the emotional benefits
The idea that all our choices are determined by past events may seem dispiriting – but it can be emotionally liberating
by Francis Merson
What removing large chunks of brain taught me about selfhood
I’ve cut brains in half, excised tumours – even removed entire lobes. The illusion of the self and free will survives it all
by Theodore H Schwartz
The three reasons why it’s good for you to believe in free will
Regardless of whether humans do or don’t have free will, psychological research shows it’s beneficial to act as if you do
by Kennon Sheldon
Dare to speak your mind and together we flourish
Reason emerges through dialogue with others. To truly flourish, stop self-censoring and risk your status to speak your mind
by Hrishikesh Joshi
Brainwashing has a grim history that we shouldn’t dismiss
Scientific research and historical accounts can help us identify and dissect the threat of ‘coercive persuasion’
by Joel E Dimsdale
Freedom needs friction: lessons in choice from French history
The French Revolution set freedom on a collision course with choice, showing how a break with habit can author a new self
by Larry S McGrath
I chose to go flat after breast cancer surgery. I have no regrets
Breast reconstruction following surgery to remove cancer owes more to the cosmetic industry than to medical science
by Sarah Cretch
Nourish your imagination and you will be forever free
The imagination is fundamental to the human experience, freeing us from physical confines and anchoring us during unrest
by Tania Zittoun
Why I shut down an argument in my philosophy for children class
To provide the free, open conditions needed to do philosophy for children can sometimes mean restricting what gets said
by Amy Reed-Sandoval
Relationships are important, but so is feeling free to end them
Comparing ‘relational mobility’ and people’s average happiness across different cultures reveals some intriguing patterns
by Thomas Talhelm & Liuqing Wei
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
For Lucy, surviving on a remote island was hard, but returning was harder
Directed by Jesper Wachtmeister