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Sam Dresser

Senior Editor, Aeon+Psyche

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.

See Sam Dresser’s profile on Aeon

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Written by Sam Dresser

Young woman dances near a young man on a skateboard by a vintage car beside the ocean on a clear day.

Virtues and vices

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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

A painting of a man sitting at a table with his head resting on his hand, looking at a skull placed on books. A curtain is in the background.

Death and dying

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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

Edited by Sam Dresser

Photo of a café interior showing a person working on a laptop inside by the window while another person is entering through the door.

Goals and motivation

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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

Photo of green leaves on branches against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds behind.

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

Photo of a person driving a car, seen through a car window, lit by warm sunlight, wearing glasses, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand resting in front of their face.

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

Charlie Chaplin and Chester Conklin, dressed in overalls, scratch their heads, standing in front of large industrial gears and machinery in a black-and-white scene.

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

A portrait of a woman with powdered hair wearing a silk dress, lace collar, black choker, and a pink ribbon, seated against a dark background.

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

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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

Man in jeans and trainers falls backwards as he avoids three charging bulls on a cobblestone street. Top-down perspective captures the chaos of the scene.

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

A vintage photo of six women wearing wide-brimmed hats, smiling and laughing together. One woman is holding a steering wheel, suggesting they might be on a fun outdoor adventure. The background shows a natural, slightly blurry setting.

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

A black-and-white photo of a man in a suit and tie smiling while a woman in a glittery dress and gloves laughs beside him. They are at a social gathering.

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

A monochrome photograph from above of a man looking out to sea. His hands are in his pockets and a dog waits some metres away

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

A marble figurine seated in a chair plays a harp

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

Black-and-white photo of two people in a small rowboat on a calm, open water body under a cloudy sky. The boat and its occupants are reflected clearly in the still water.

The nature of reality

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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