Sam has been with Aeon since its launch in 2012. He’s most interested in how to do philosophy and in the continental/analytic divide. History and politics are also amusing to him. He considers Evelyn Waugh to be a very funny writer and enjoys pubs more than he should.
Virtues and vices
guide
How to think about pleasure
Weirdly hard to define, much less to feel OK about it, pleasure is a tricky creature. Can philosophy help us lighten up?
by Sam Dresser
Death and dying
guide
How to not fear your death
You exist, but one day you won’t. An Epicurean perspective can help you feel less afraid, and even grateful for life’s finitude
by Sam Dresser
Goals and motivation
idea
How temptation works, and why it nearly stopped me writing this
Temptation can be sneaky – a rationalising voice that subtly undermines your resolve. But there are ways to outsmart it
by John Schwenkler
Wonder and the sublime
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The most profound wonder is stirred by what is most ordinary
Rare moments of wonder at the mere existence of things – rather than the dramatic or new – involve perceiving with the soul
by Maria Balaska
Consciousness
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How to think about consciousness
What is it like to be you? Dive into the philosophical puzzle of consciousness and see yourself and the world in new ways
by Amy Kind
Freedom and choice
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Why Charlie Chaplin was an ‘angel of peace’ for Walter Benjamin
Though a tramp and a misfit, Chaplin’s world fit him like a glove. His life of contingency appealed to the émigré Benjamin
by Eli Friedlander
The body and physical health
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Menopause was a French invention at a time of revolution
French doctors of the 1800s had a vested interest in pathologising women’s ageing, as do many commercial entities today
by Alison M Downham Moore
Music
idea
Courtly love songs are a window into medieval sex lives
Song lyrics acted as a sexual script for aristocrats, revealing some edgy practices that ignited their imaginations
by Elizabeth Eva Leach
History of emotions
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Schadenfreude: why do we find joy in the pain felt by others?
A brief history of schadenfreude – taking pleasure in the misfortune of another – from ancient China to Charlie Chaplin
by David P Barash
Film
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Why was a laughing woman seen as lethal, not least to herself?
When early cinema weaponised the sight of women’s laughter, it borrowed from flawed psychiatric ideas about female hysteria
by Maggie Hennefeld
Sex and sexuality
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Everything I know about flirting, I learned from the Cold War
The rewards of flirtation go beyond sex or romance. But, as in other exchanges, you have to know where the red line is
by Youngbin Yoon
Thinking and intelligence
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Philosophical reflection often begins with a disruptive mood
For many of our greatest philosophers, it was their moods, from wonder to estrangement to anxiety, that first inspired them
by Steven Segal
Music
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Ancient Greek ideas of attunement can breathe new life into music
In Athenian philosophy, attunement is important not only in music, but also for moods, attitudes and states of mind
by John Bagby
The nature of reality
guide
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