Daily Philosophy Making sense of the world.

Category: 5 minutes

What is ethics?

Of means and ends

Ethics is the study of how we ought to behave, and why. There are many different theories of ethics, which we briefly discuss in this article. (more...)

October 20, 2022

What Is Philosophy in Simple Words?

Philosophy is a field of study that attempts to answer questions that cannot be answered by providing some fact, but that require a deeper understanding of the question. (more...)

December 27, 2021

Who is the Father (or Mother) of Philosophy?

Diotima, Socrates, Plato, Aspasia of Miletus, Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Zi are the most influential figures within their respective traditions. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

Kant’s Praiseworthy Motivation

Ethical behaviour can be demanding

A core feature of Kant’s ethics is his insistence on the value of one’s motivation for the morality of an action. As opposed to utilitarianism, Kant does not look at the consequences when judging actions, but only at what he calls the “good will.” (more...)

Epicureanism: The Basic Idea

Is it so hard to satisfy our senses?

Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC) believes that the way to ensure happiness throughout life is to reduce one’s desires so that they can be easily fulfilled. (more...)

February 22, 2021

Hedonism, Pleasure and Happiness

Is pleasure the same as happiness?

Hedonism is the thesis that happiness and pleasure are the same. But is that true? Does the enjoyment of pleasures like good food, chocolate, sex and a myriad other things that we consume everyday — do these things really make us happier? (more...)

January 25, 2021

Martha Nussbaum and the Capabilities Approach

What makes a human life worth living?

In the capabilities approach, philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that a human life, in order to reach its highest potential, must include a number of “capabilities” – that is, of actual possibilities that one can realise in one’s life. (more...)

December 18, 2020

The Paradoxes of Zeno of Elea

Does an arrow really fly?

Zeno of Elea (490-430 BC) is famous for his paradoxes that seem to prove, among other points, that no movement is possible. If an arrow in flight is standing still whenever we take a photograph of it, when is it actually moving? (more...)

December 7, 2020

Is Stealing Always Immoral?

Utilitarianism, Kant and Aristotle

In utilitarianism, stealing would only be immoral if it leads to bad consequences for the stakeholders. For Kant, it would always be immoral. (more...)

December 3, 2020

What Is Deontological Ethics?

Immanuel Kant and not looking at outcomes

Deontological ethics is about actions that must be performed (or must not be performed) because the actions themselves are intrinsically good or bad. (more...)

November 14, 2020

The Ethics of Eating Meat

Four moral theories and their views

Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...)

November 14, 2020

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

What is love made of?

Robert Sternberg thinks that we can best describe love as composed of three “primary” components that combine to produce all the kinds of love that we observe around us: intimacy, passion and decision or commitment. (more...)

November 3, 2020

Confucius on Loyalty and Betrayal

Would you send your father to prison?

For Confucius, one’s personal loyalties to family, friends, co-workers and superiors are more important than the rules of some abstract ethical theory. (more...)

October 23, 2020

Thales of Miletus

A stroll through the history of philosophy

Thales of Miletus is generally cited as one of the first philosophers, although his contributions extended to many sciences and even to business endeavors. (more...)

September 30, 2020

Do Unicorns Exist?

And what, please, is an ontological commitment?

A rant about the ontological commitment of the existential quantifier. (more...)

Category: Accented podcast

October 15, 2022

Quiet Quitting

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

For many, quietly quitting work is the only answer to a job that is exploitative, meaningless and empty. But is quietly quitting really the best way to reclaim our lives? (more...)

October 10, 2021

Beauty discrimination

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

Are we doing something morally bad when we watch Youtubers we find attractive? Should attractiveness have no influence on our viewing habits? Or are we free to watch whom we like? Listen to find out! (more...)

October 5, 2021

Is Prostitution Morally Right?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of prostitution, from issues of public health to exploitation and jobs that take over our bodies. (more...)

September 29, 2021

Are Some Countries Objectively Better?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy finish their discussion of moral relativism. If we don’t want to be relativists, what ways are there to know whether one country or system is better than another? (more...)

September 19, 2021

Moral Relativism: What is a good country?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss moral relativism and whether we can say that one society is “better” than another. Is the US better than North Korea? In what way? Is there an objective way to judge the “goodness” of a society? (more...)

September 15, 2021

Moral Relativism

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss moral relativism: the idea that other cultures may have their own values and moral rules that are different from ours. Do we have to respect them even if we disagree with them, or can we demand that all humans share some basic, common values? (more...)

August 31, 2021

Meritocracy and discrimination

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

Do we really deserve the lives we have? And are we providing enough chances to those who need them? (more...)

August 24, 2021

Meritocracy: Do we deserve our lives?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the idea that hard work (as well as laziness) eventually get their just rewards and that, therefore, people deserve the lives they have. But is this true? Or do we all just rely on luck to achieve the positions in life that we have? (more...)

August 10, 2021

Sports and Society

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of sports in general. From whether sports benefit populations to drugs, doping and the problems of nationalism, it is surprising how many interesting moral issues are caused by sports! (more...)

August 10, 2021

The Ethics of the Olympics

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of the Olympics. From environmental problems to the protection of underage athletes, the Olympic Games cause a number of ethical problems that are worth discussing. (more...)

Human Autonomy

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy ask what autonomy really is. What does it mean to be “free”? Are drug addicts free? And what is unique about human beings? (more...)

Technology and Freedom

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy ask how technology affects our freedom. Are we free to choose particular technologies? Are we free to reject them? And is democracy powerful enough to deal with technology? (more...)

Work, Leisure and Fulfilment

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy continue their discussion of E. F. Schumacher’s famous 1973 book “Small is Beautiful,” and particularly the role of work in human life. (more...)

Small is Beautiful - Economics as if people mattered

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss E. F. Schumacher’s famous 1973 book “Small is Beautiful”. We unpack the main theses of the book and look whether they are still valid 50 years later. (more...)

What is Deep Ecology?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss Deep Ecology, a philosophy of respecting the rights of nature as equal to our own. But does this really work? Can we make sense of treating nature with just the same consideration that we give ourselves? (more...)

Nudges

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss nudges - small incentives designed to push us to make particular choices. Can we ever act in a truly free way, or do we have to resign ourselves to being nudged around? (more...)

Anarchism

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the history and principles of anarchism. Can we ever achieve an anarchist society, and should we want to? (more...)

Political violence

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of employing violence as a means of politics. Are we ever justified to use violent means in pursuit of political goals? (more...)

Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of the death penalty, and particularly the question whether other countries have the right to withhold the drugs used in US executions. (more...)

Chimeras: Animals as hosts for human organs?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the complex ethics of growing human organs in animal hosts. Are we in danger of creating human-like animals? Could such animals claim human rights? And are we sufficiently respecting the dignity of such animal hosts? (more...)

Who Owns Space?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. Today: Who owns space? (more...)

Legalising drugs

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. Today: Should we legalise drugs? (more...)

New: The Accented Philosophy Podcast

First episode: Ethics of vaccination passports

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. (more...)

Category: Aesthetics

Can You Steal a Culture?

Making sense of cultural appropriation

For a long time, we have been watching the public discussion on cultural appropriation. Many writers and philosophers, even guests we have interviewed here on Daily Philosophy, have been reluctant to discuss the topic in public. (more...)

January 28, 2024

The Paradox of Fiction

Why are we scared by things that don’t exist?

The paradox of fiction asks how we can experience genuine emotions for things that we know not to be real. (more...)

December 22, 2023

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Guest article by John Shand

1. What I wish to do is to look at the value of art in the wide human cultural context, most fundamentally indeed as part of the human condition. (more...)

October 2, 2022

Stunning AI-Generated Art

How it works and what it means

A sample of AI art generated by Stable Diffusion. Is AI generated art different from human art, and is it art at all? (more...)

September 20, 2021

Andrei Simionescu-Panait on Elegance

Philosopher interviews

Dr Simionescu-Panait talks about his research on the phenomenology of elegance, about ‘Socratic’ approaches to philosophical counseling and about his new book on elegance: “The Reconciled Body.” (more...)

Category: African philosophy

Women Philosophers Throughout History

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Women philosophers: Gargi Vachaknavi, Aspasia, Ban Zhao, Hypatia of Alexandria, Rabia al-Adawiyya, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Nana Asma’u. (more...)

February 10, 2024

African Philosophy

A Personal Perspective

I married into Africa. That is, my wife is a member of a Xhosa clan – in fact, a descendant of the great King Mpondo. (more...)

Category: Ai and technology

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

December 15, 2023

Studying Philosophy at a Time of Automated Thinking

Notes to the philosophy student

Philosophy starts by questioning what the other sciences presuppose, the assumptions of all activity, cognition, and knowledge as a whole. (more...)

The Chatbot

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence. (more...)

February 19, 2023

Should We Fear Technological Unemployment?

Technology might lead to widespread unemployment. But will this necessarily be a bad thing? Professor Michael Hauskeller on the future of work. (more...)

October 2, 2022

Stunning AI-Generated Art

How it works and what it means

A sample of AI art generated by Stable Diffusion. Is AI generated art different from human art, and is it art at all? (more...)

Can AI write philosophy?

How Jasper AI will shake up education

I tried out Jasper AI, a computer program that generates natural language text. It turns out that it can create near-perfect output that would easily pass for a human-written undergraduate philosophy paper. (more...)

When Is an AI System Sentient?

Blake Lemoine and LaMDA AI

How can we tell whether an AI program “thinks” or “feels”? In the recent debate of Blake Lemoine’s claims about LaMDA, a functionalist approach can help us understand machine consciousness and feelings. (more...)

Deepfakes, deception, and distrust

Epistemic and social concerns

The main epistemic concern in the light of the potential ubiquity of deepfakes is not that we are going to be massively deceived. Global distrust and not global deception could be the ultimate consequence of deepfakes. (more...)

October 22, 2021

Roman Yampolskiy on the dangers of AI

Philosopher interviews

Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville, speaks about the future of AI. (more...)

August 18, 2021

Luca Possati on Transhumanism

Philosopher interviews

Luca M. Possati is researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Educated as philosopher, he has been lecturer at the Institut Catholique de Paris and associate researcher of the Fonds Ricoeur and EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales). (more...)

August 16, 2021

Inventing the New World

Can AIs have intellectual property?

For the first time in history, an AI called DABUS has been granted a patent in South Africa. This article analyses the metaphysics of attributing inventions to non-human agents. (more...)

Is Data Science Evil?

What does “Don’t Be Evil” really mean?

Computers have a long history of being associated with evilness. Machine minds without emotions suggest cruelty, unflinching execution of inhuman orders. (more...)

The Uncontrollability of AI

The creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise, but with it also comes existential risk. (more...)

More Aristotle than Galileo?

Artificial Intelligence and scientific discovery

Can artificial intelligence discover new laws of physics? Possibly. An article in Technology Review suggests that data from a swinging pendulum experiment allowed a neural network to discover some of the laws of motion. (more...)

What is Luddism?

The challenges of modern technology

Luddism is the thesis that technology must serve human life and that often the use of technologies does not make for better or happier societies. (more...)

Who Needs Cash Anyway?

The ethics of a cashless society

A cashless society seems convenient, but it has severe drawbacks, especially for the least privileged in society. (more...)

Erich Fromm on Our Relation to Technology

Rediscovering ancient skills in everyday life

According to Erich Fromm, modern technology is to be blamed for constant surveillance, destruction of the planet, and widespread AI-caused unemployment. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Society, Technology and Progress

The false promise of unlimited progress

According to philosopher Erich Fromm, the dream of endless technological development has led to a depletion of natural resources and the destruction of nature. (more...)

February 17, 2021

History of Robots: From Albertus Magnus to the Blade Runner

The story of our fascination with our own image

From ancient China and the European Middle Ages, to zombies, Frankenstein’s monster and HAL 9000, our literary tradition is full of robots – sometimes helpful, sometimes threatening, and always questioning what it really means to be human. (more...)

February 10, 2021

The Artificial Man in Ancient Myth

The story of our fascination with our own image

The “artificial man” is not a new concept. Today, we call them robots, but many cultures have a myth about the creation of man and often it is a god who, through the use of divine powers, makes man out of some inanimate material. (more...)

January 17, 2021

What is Artificial Intelligence?

We examine a number of definitions quoted at the end of the first chapter of Russell and Norvig’s textbook “Artificial Intelligence. A Modern Approach” (AIMA) (more...)

December 10, 2020

Can Machines Think?

Why it’s so hard to tell

The Turing Test wanted to provide a way to judge whether computers are intelligent, but pretending to be human in a chat is not the same as being intelligent. (more...)

December 8, 2020

Epicurus and Luddism

Would we be happier without technology?

Technology, at least in the way that it is deployed in capitalism contradicts the essential simplicity of the ideal Epicurean life. (more...)

November 19, 2020

Which Social Media Site Is the Most Ethical?

A case for applied utilitarianism

Social media affect our society in many ways: addiction, democracy, the decline of journalism, privacy, surveillance, and effects on friendships. (more...)

August 21, 2020

August 21: Happy Birthday, Sergey Brin!

Are we allowed to be evil now?

Today marks the birthday of Sergey Brin of Google fame and the first public presentation of William Burroughs’ calculating machine in 1888. (more...)

Category: Art

Can You Steal a Culture?

Making sense of cultural appropriation

For a long time, we have been watching the public discussion on cultural appropriation. Many writers and philosophers, even guests we have interviewed here on Daily Philosophy, have been reluctant to discuss the topic in public. (more...)

January 28, 2024

The Paradox of Fiction

Why are we scared by things that don’t exist?

The paradox of fiction asks how we can experience genuine emotions for things that we know not to be real. (more...)

December 22, 2023

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Guest article by John Shand

1. What I wish to do is to look at the value of art in the wide human cultural context, most fundamentally indeed as part of the human condition. (more...)

October 19, 2022

Are We Allowed to Destroy Art?

Jimmy Carr is taking a hammer to Hitler

A new TV show fronted by Jimmy Carr will destroy artworks from artists ranging from Picasso to Hitler. Is this a bad thing? We look at the arguments for and against destroying art for entertainment. (more...)

October 2, 2022

Stunning AI-Generated Art

How it works and what it means

A sample of AI art generated by Stable Diffusion. Is AI generated art different from human art, and is it art at all? (more...)

September 23, 2022

Paul Lodge on Philosophy and Music

Philosopher interviews

Paul Lodge, Professor of Philosophy and songwriter, sets philosophical poems to music. In this interview, we discuss his background and whether philosophy makes for good songs. (more...)

Category: Asian philosophy

Hánfēizǐ

A Chinese philosophical pessimist

Hánfēizǐ advocated a realist political philosophy and its aim was the establishment of order. The function of the state is to survive – to suppress internal strife and resist external aggression. (more...)

Live Like a Corpse

How acceptance of death set the samurai free

Japanese martial philosophy has been mythologized to nefarious ends, but that does not mean it has nothing to teach well-adjusted individuals. (more...)

Women Philosophers Throughout History

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Women philosophers: Gargi Vachaknavi, Aspasia, Ban Zhao, Hypatia of Alexandria, Rabia al-Adawiyya, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Nana Asma’u. (more...)

August 11, 2023

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (2)

Part 2: The Confucian Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This second part focuses on Confucianism. (more...)

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (1)

Part 1: The Buddhist Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This first part focuses on Japanese Buddhism. (more...)

January 27, 2023

Necessary Vices

In our societies, an impressive array of vices is on display. Hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, prejudice… But what if many of these vices were necessary for human life? (more...)

December 19, 2022

What's So Wrong With Engaged Buddhism?

A reply to Ian Kidd

Does an ‘engaged’ Buddhist really have to draw on this picture of the Buddha as a ‘social activist’ to find support for their own activism? (more...)

December 12, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 3)

I focus in this final piece on a neglected aspect of Buddha’s teachings: the condemnation of social activism and political engagement. (more...)

December 7, 2022

The Cicada and the Bird

Chuang Tzu's ancient wisdom translated for modern life

For Chuang Tzu, the Tao is the surface isness (the presenting phenomenology) of things. Excerpt from the book The Cicada and the Bird by Christopher Tricker. (more...)

December 5, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 2)

Changing the world, challenging patriarchy, revolution, and the whole ethos of radical reformism is nothing like what the Buddha taught. (more...)

November 28, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists?

Buddhism is widely admired in the West for its commitments to progressive social activism. But is this really in the spirit of true Buddhism? (more...)

Shénnóng and the Agriculturalist School

According to Shénnóng, rulers had a limited number of very simple functions, mainly concerning agriculture. A ruler should teach people agricultural arts, inspect their fields, and keep a grain store. (more...)

How to Recognise Pure Awareness

Douglas Harding and the Headless Way

What is pure awareness? Douglas Harding (1909-2007) proposed a series of simple but surprising experiments that one can perform to learn more about oneself as the subject of one’s own first person view. (more...)

Confucianism and Just War

Since governments are charged with pursuing the popular well-being and not state power or prosperity, wars of aggression are illegitimate. - David Cockayne on how classic Confucianism would see wars. (more...)

January 27, 2022

In Praise of Pyrrhonian Scepticism

Radical scepticism has a good claim to be both the longest lasting tradition in philosophy and the consistently least popular. There’s a lot to be said for it. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

What is “Eastern” Happiness?

Erich Fromm and Lin Yutang on cultural differences

Is there a difference between the way we perceive happiness and life in the West in comparison with “Eastern” cultures? We compare Erich Fromm and Lin Yutang. (more...)

November 3, 2020

Confucius on Loyalty and Betrayal

Would you send your father to prison?

For Confucius, one’s personal loyalties to family, friends, co-workers and superiors are more important than the rules of some abstract ethical theory. (more...)

Category: Basics

James Tartaglia: Inner Space Philosophy

Tartaglia’s sometimes uneven exploration of how philosophy could be popularised is hugely amusing and entertaining at places, but it also has parts that don’t quite live up to its promise. (more...)

Timothy Morton: Hell

Hell is utterly impossible to put down just because of the sheer force of its language… (more...)

Can You Steal a Culture?

Making sense of cultural appropriation

For a long time, we have been watching the public discussion on cultural appropriation. Many writers and philosophers, even guests we have interviewed here on Daily Philosophy, have been reluctant to discuss the topic in public. (more...)

Christopher Hamilton: Rapture

Christopher Hamilton’s “Rapture” is a very pleasant, well-written, intelligent, and inspiring essay on the many meanings of human lives. (more...)

New Video Series: Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

A new series of Daily Philosophy whiteboard explainer videos has just been published on YouTube. It gives a very short, and hopefully amusing, introduction to the main theories of Western ethics. (more...)

Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

We examine the basic ideas behind the four main Western ethics theories: utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, social contract ethics and virtue ethics. (more...)

February 16, 2024

Islam in 10 Minutes

Its history and main ideas

How did Islam begin and expand, what do Muslims believe, and what does the daily practice of a Muslim believer look like? (more...)

January 28, 2024

The Paradox of Fiction

Why are we scared by things that don’t exist?

The paradox of fiction asks how we can experience genuine emotions for things that we know not to be real. (more...)

December 13, 2023

Plato’s Theory of Forms

Stepping out of the shadows and into the light

For every thing in the real world, there is a “perfect” image somewhere in the world of Forms. A perfect cat, a perfect tree, a perfect circle. (more...)

December 13, 2023

What is a Fallacy?

How to Spot and Avoid Logical Pitfalls

A fallacy in Critical Thinking is an error in argumentation that makes an argument invalid. (more...)

December 7, 2023

The Presocratics

The most important thinkers and their ideas

The Presocratic philosophers were a group of thinkers who lived in ancient Greece before the time of Socrates. They were interested in understanding the natural world and the underlying principles that govern it. (more...)

November 4, 2023

Monism and Dualism in the Mind-Body Problem

The mind-body problem concerns the relationship between the mind and the body (or the brain). Two major philosophical views on this problem are monism and dualism. (more...)

October 22, 2023

What is the Philosophy of Religion?

Does every religion need a god?

The philosophy of religion is a wide and varied field of study that is different from both theology and the history of religions. It touches metaphysics, epistemology and many other areas of philosophy. (more...)

October 4, 2023

How To Self-Study Philosophy

5 game-changing tips

Here are a philosophy lecturer’s 5 tips on how to self-study philosophy as an adult learner. (more...)

August 11, 2023

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (2)

Part 2: The Confucian Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This second part focuses on Confucianism. (more...)

How Humour Works

This is about humour. I shall not make any clear distinction between humour in general and jokes, only to say that jokes are archly and tightly structured set pieces and a subgroup within humour. (more...)

Ineffable Understanding

Seemingly intractable paradoxes involved in speaking of the ineffable are based on a mistake. (more...)

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (1)

Part 1: The Buddhist Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This first part focuses on Japanese Buddhism. (more...)

A Brief History of Hermeneutics

What is Hermeneutics? ‘Hermeneutics’ is an ancient topic whose philosophical outlines have evolved through time. In a broad sense, hermeneutics can be defined simply as ‘interpretation,’ ‘the art of interpreting,’ or ‘the study of interpretation. (more...)

How to Think Like a Philosopher

Peter Cave’s “How to Think Like a Philosopher” is a very enjoyable introduction into Western philosophy. Light, conversational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating. (more...)

A Very Short Philosophical Dictionary

A dictionary of philosophy with one exatly entry for each letter. (more...)

December 16, 2022

Superhero Thought Experiments

Superhero Thought Experiments, by Chris Gavaler and Nathaniel Goldberg, is a very enjoyable book that presents classic arguments from philosophy by discussing examples of superhero comics. (more...)

October 20, 2022

What Is Philosophy in Simple Words?

Philosophy is a field of study that attempts to answer questions that cannot be answered by providing some fact, but that require a deeper understanding of the question. (more...)

The Knowledge-Effect

Is more knowledge always better?

Awareness of the knowledge-effect is important because it is something we need strongly to guard against if we are to make good normative judgements. (more...)

The Wind on Your Face

The limits of language are all there before us in the everyday. For there is no description or account of the wind on your face (nor of the experience of seeing a red rose) that could give you any idea at all what the wind on your face was like to have. (more...)

December 27, 2021

Who is the Father (or Mother) of Philosophy?

Diotima, Socrates, Plato, Aspasia of Miletus, Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Zi are the most influential figures within their respective traditions. (more...)

November 29, 2021

What Is a Valid Argument?

Critical Thinking basics

In a valid argument, it is not possible that the conclusion is false when the premises are true. Or, in other words: In a valid argument, whenever the premises are true, the conclusion also has to be true. (more...)

November 12, 2021

Stoic Control

How to stay calm in everyday life

At the core of the Stoic theory of happiness is our ability to control our thoughts. The wise man should try to exercise control over what they can control and not try to control what they cannot. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

August 31, 2021

Meritocracy and discrimination

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

Do we really deserve the lives we have? And are we providing enough chances to those who need them? (more...)

August 24, 2021

Meritocracy: Do we deserve our lives?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the idea that hard work (as well as laziness) eventually get their just rewards and that, therefore, people deserve the lives they have. But is this true? Or do we all just rely on luck to achieve the positions in life that we have? (more...)

August 10, 2021

Sports and Society

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of sports in general. From whether sports benefit populations to drugs, doping and the problems of nationalism, it is surprising how many interesting moral issues are caused by sports! (more...)

August 10, 2021

The Ethics of the Olympics

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of the Olympics. From environmental problems to the protection of underage athletes, the Olympic Games cause a number of ethical problems that are worth discussing. (more...)

Human Autonomy

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy ask what autonomy really is. What does it mean to be “free”? Are drug addicts free? And what is unique about human beings? (more...)

Technology and Freedom

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy ask how technology affects our freedom. Are we free to choose particular technologies? Are we free to reject them? And is democracy powerful enough to deal with technology? (more...)

Work, Leisure and Fulfilment

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy continue their discussion of E. F. Schumacher’s famous 1973 book “Small is Beautiful,” and particularly the role of work in human life. (more...)

Small is Beautiful - Economics as if people mattered

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss E. F. Schumacher’s famous 1973 book “Small is Beautiful”. We unpack the main theses of the book and look whether they are still valid 50 years later. (more...)

What is Deep Ecology?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss Deep Ecology, a philosophy of respecting the rights of nature as equal to our own. But does this really work? Can we make sense of treating nature with just the same consideration that we give ourselves? (more...)

Nudges

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss nudges - small incentives designed to push us to make particular choices. Can we ever act in a truly free way, or do we have to resign ourselves to being nudged around? (more...)

Anarchism

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the history and principles of anarchism. Can we ever achieve an anarchist society, and should we want to? (more...)

Asimov’s Psychohistory

The illusive quest to predict the future

Why is it so difficult to make predictions about society? The problem is not the complexity of the task, but the concepts we use to think about the world. (more...)

What to Do When People Talk #$!!~#

The importance of meaningful disagreement

Can two people’s experiences and outlooks on life be so different that meaningful communication between them is impossible? Recent events suggest so. (more...)

What is Alienation?

Karl Marx on how society fails us

One of his best known concepts of Marxism is the idea of “alienation” that describes how human beings get estranged from their work. (more...)

February 26, 2021

Monism, Dualism and the Philosophy of Mind

Do we have a soul?

The human mind is unique and we know of no other comparable phenomenon in the universe. The philosophy of mind (monism, dualism, computationalism) attempts to explain what exactly the mind is. (more...)

Category: Bestof

December 7, 2024

Human Extinction

An Even More Modest Proposal

Would it matter if the entire human race became extinct?1 I ask this question not because of any hostility towards human beings – as is fashionable in some circles, humans being seen as the poisonous curse of the Earth it would be better without, nor any generalized misanthropy – rather the opposite. (more...)

November 23, 2024

Ensuring Humanity’s Future

Lessons from Play, Sport, and Game

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 18, 2024

Can Philosophy Save Us?

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 9, 2024

We and They

Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

November 3, 2024

A “Philos” of We

. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 25, 2024

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis

Thinking Clearly to Help Ensure the Future of Humanity

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 18, 2024

The Surprising Threat to Human Society

How can philosophy help ensure the future of humanity? Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 12, 2024

In Praise of Misinformation

There have been increasingly clamorous calls for the banning, removal, or controlling, or censoring of ‘misinformation’ as an enforced general policy. (more...)

October 4, 2024

Verdict

We, the Jury, duly impaneled and sworn, upon our oaths, do find the defendant, of her own free will, as to Count One, guilty of First-degree Murder. (more...)

September 20, 2024

Irvin Yalom: The Spinoza Problem

Irvin Yalom’s (b. 1931) The Spinoza Problem: A Novel (Basic Books 2013) intertwines history and philosophy, offering a fresh perspective on two distinct but connected lives. (more...)

September 15, 2024

How Many Cows Does It Take?

Navigating the Trolley Problem's Moral Dilemma

Here, instead of five people versus one person, the trolley is heading toward N cows and diverting it will kill one person. (more...)

August 30, 2024

Still Against Veganism

A reply to Petrică Nițoaia

My question was – and still is – a short good life with a pain free death, or no life at all, which would you prefer? A reply to Petrică Nițoaia. (more...)

August 16, 2024

The Hermit of the Lonely Loch

Aspiring hermits have many motivations. Smith eloquently testifies to his reasons, some of them deeply personal. (more...)

Boltzmann Brains and Epistemology

Entropy can be calculated with a concept called multiplicity. The multiplicity is the number of indistinguishable possibilities that could cause the results we observe. (more...)

Embracing Kindness

The Moral Argument for Veganism

Ethical arguments against veganism are examined and refuted. (more...)

Liberty, Democracy, Justice

Can the Center Hold?

In the Republic, Plato speaks of society in metaphorical terms as “our city of words.” The dialogue is essentially about justice as a human virtue. (more...)

It's OK to Major in English or History

...and you might even save the world

Just because we can automate something doesn’t mean that we won’t pay over the odds for an analogue version. (more...)

Evil: Ordinary or Extraordinary?

Are the people who perform evil acts ordinary or extraordinary? Just like other people or exceptional people? (more...)

To Exist Is to Play

Albert Camus’ love for football

The writer and philosopher Albert Camus was known for his existentialist essays, novels, and love of football. (more...)

What does Philosophy do?

What could have led to the fact that the study of philosophy does not encourage independent thinking? (more...)

Hánfēizǐ

A Chinese philosophical pessimist

Hánfēizǐ advocated a realist political philosophy and its aim was the establishment of order. The function of the state is to survive – to suppress internal strife and resist external aggression. (more...)

Taking Pessimism Seriously

Pessimism today has an ambivalent status. On the one hand, even a cursory glance at the world reveals a depressing abundance of dreadful events, tendencies, and phenomena. (more...)

Transfer of Matter

My eyes widen as I stare at the board, the possibilities beginning to fill my mind. (more...)

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

Reasons and Causes

We are not as rational as we think we are

We think our beliefs and attitudes, and even our feelings and moods, are more determined by a reasoning process that brings us to them than they are. (more...)

February 23, 2024

Kant's conception of freedom

Using reason to resist manipulation

Kant on using reason to critically examine our inclinations and uncover the forces that manipulate and misinform us. (more...)

February 17, 2024

A Better Society?

Bonanno's utopian anarchism

Bonanno stands apart with his radical, borderline utopian critique of modern society. (more...)

February 10, 2024

African Philosophy

A Personal Perspective

I married into Africa. That is, my wife is a member of a Xhosa clan – in fact, a descendant of the great King Mpondo. (more...)

February 3, 2024

Nothing

Nothing is ever nothing. What a paradox! Everything is something, in a way. (more...)

January 19, 2024

The Case for Feeding the Surfers

Philippe Van Parijs’s Argument for Universal Basic Income

Universal Basic Income, or UBI, implies the regular, universal, unconditional transfer of an equal sum of money to all eligible citizens. (more...)

January 12, 2024

Meaning

Call me Gottlob. And just to make sure we don’t get off on the wrong foot, my name is indeed Gottlob. But what is the actual meaning of names? (more...)

January 5, 2024

Israel’s Attack on Gaza

Some philosophical reflections

Philosophical reflections about Israel’s response to the 7th October 2023 attack by Hamas, exposing inconsistencies, poor reasoning and immoralities, with a final touch of Kant and Nietzsche. (more...)

December 22, 2023

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Guest article by John Shand

1. What I wish to do is to look at the value of art in the wide human cultural context, most fundamentally indeed as part of the human condition. (more...)

December 15, 2023

Studying Philosophy at a Time of Automated Thinking

Notes to the philosophy student

Philosophy starts by questioning what the other sciences presuppose, the assumptions of all activity, cognition, and knowledge as a whole. (more...)

December 2, 2023

Transhumanism and Misanthropy

Humans are constitutively incapable of virtuous forms of life. Posthumans, of course, can aspire to much more. (more...)

November 17, 2023

Sartre and the Lobsters

On Fear, Longing, and Love

In 1935, a bad trip triggered Jean-Paul Sartre’s deep-rooted fear of sea creatures. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by crabs and lobsters. (more...)

October 13, 2023

Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was ambivalent towards philosophy. In just the same way that philosophy purports to explain the world, so too does psychoanalysis. (more...)

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

August 11, 2023

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (2)

Part 2: The Confucian Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This second part focuses on Confucianism. (more...)

How Humour Works

This is about humour. I shall not make any clear distinction between humour in general and jokes, only to say that jokes are archly and tightly structured set pieces and a subgroup within humour. (more...)

The Chatbot

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence. (more...)

Ineffable Understanding

Seemingly intractable paradoxes involved in speaking of the ineffable are based on a mistake. (more...)

Plato’s Apology

Plato’s Apology of Socrates is one of the greatest speeches in the history of mankind. It shows Socrates’ personality and humour, as well as being a meditation on justice and honesty. (more...)

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (1)

Part 1: The Buddhist Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This first part focuses on Japanese Buddhism. (more...)

Freeing Yourself from Self-Consciousness

Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre on Being Authentic

We can change the way we perceive ourselves by a simple switch in our first-person perspective, argues author Brentyn J. Ramm, following Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre. (more...)

Sartre’s Existentialism

Sartre’s discourse “Existentialism is a Humanism” can be broken down into five concepts: Existence precedes essence, Freedom, Responsibility, Anguish and Bad Faith. (more...)

A Not Very Philosophical Zombie

They’re saying Brian was never alive! They’re treating him like he wasn’t real, like he never existed! (more...)

Hobbes Reconsidered

Hobbes’s conception of humankind in a state of nature begins with the idea that everyone is more or less equal and free. (more...)

A Brief History of Hermeneutics

What is Hermeneutics? ‘Hermeneutics’ is an ancient topic whose philosophical outlines have evolved through time. In a broad sense, hermeneutics can be defined simply as ‘interpretation,’ ‘the art of interpreting,’ or ‘the study of interpretation. (more...)

A Very Short Philosophical Dictionary

A dictionary of philosophy with one exatly entry for each letter. (more...)

February 24, 2023

A Case for Postmodernism

What is postmodernism? A physiotherapy professor explains how postmodernism changed his views on medicine and health. (more...)

February 19, 2023

Should We Fear Technological Unemployment?

Technology might lead to widespread unemployment. But will this necessarily be a bad thing? Professor Michael Hauskeller on the future of work. (more...)

February 1, 2023

What is Ethical Investing?

We all want our money to serve the right cause – but how can we make sure that it will? Catherine Greene on what is involved in ethical investing and ESG considerations. (more...)

January 27, 2023

Necessary Vices

In our societies, an impressive array of vices is on display. Hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, prejudice… But what if many of these vices were necessary for human life? (more...)

January 13, 2023

Kant’s Joke: Are Practical Jokes Wrong?

According to Immanuel Kant, practical jokes would be considered immoral because they treat the subject as mere means to others’ enjoyment. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

January 6, 2023

What does “March of the Penguins” have to do with Kant?

According to Kant, we wouldn’t be able to talk about ethics at all if we couldn’t see us as free beings who are capable of deciding. (more...)

December 19, 2022

What's So Wrong With Engaged Buddhism?

A reply to Ian Kidd

Does an ‘engaged’ Buddhist really have to draw on this picture of the Buddha as a ‘social activist’ to find support for their own activism? (more...)

December 12, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 3)

I focus in this final piece on a neglected aspect of Buddha’s teachings: the condemnation of social activism and political engagement. (more...)

December 10, 2022

The Ballad of Marie and Elsie

A poem by Professor Michael Hauskeller. (more...)

December 7, 2022

The Cicada and the Bird

Chuang Tzu's ancient wisdom translated for modern life

For Chuang Tzu, the Tao is the surface isness (the presenting phenomenology) of things. Excerpt from the book The Cicada and the Bird by Christopher Tricker. (more...)

December 5, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 2)

Changing the world, challenging patriarchy, revolution, and the whole ethos of radical reformism is nothing like what the Buddha taught. (more...)

December 2, 2022

Passing Beyond Descartes

Ever since René Descartes wrote, in 1641, ‘The mind is really distinct from the body,’ we have struggled with the mind-body problem. (more...)

November 28, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists?

Buddhism is widely admired in the West for its commitments to progressive social activism. But is this really in the spirit of true Buddhism? (more...)

November 12, 2022

Books that Lead You to Philosophy

Karl Popper: The Open Society and Its Enemies

What are the books that brought us to philosophy? For John Shand, philosophy professor at the Open University, it was Karl Popper’s “The Open Society and Its Enemies” (more...)

October 7, 2022

A Short History of Happiness

From Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness

The pursuit of happiness has always been one of the main driving forces of human lives. This article recounts the amazing history of the concept of happiness, from ancient times to today, from Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness. (more...)

September 19, 2022

The Homeric Poems First of All

The poems of Homer, the Ilias and the Odyssey, mark the proper start of Greek civilization and can be seen as what shaped Greek identity, argues ancient philosophy Professsor Livio Rossetti. (more...)

September 16, 2022

50 Answers

What do religions say about fate?

An insightful new book sheds light on how a rich tapestry of religions answer life’s biggest questions. (more...)

September 2, 2022

Nigerian Scammers and Philosophical Muggers

A Short Story on Epistemic Humility and The Best Possible Life, All Things Considered (more...)

August 26, 2022

Kant’s Categories and the Stevenson Screen

One way of thinking about and getting an understanding of Kant’s Categories is to draw an analogy with the Stevenson Screen. This article sheds light on what Kant’s Categories are and how they function in our understanding of the world. (more...)

Is Abortion Ethical?

The main arguments

Is abortion morally right? We look at the main arguments for and against abortion. (more...)

Am I irrational?

And how would I know?

People as well as large-scale events, for example, the Durch Tulip Mania or the technology crash in the early 2000s, are sometimes said to be irrational. But what exactly do we mean by that? (more...)

Steven Cassedy: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Meaning

Altogether this is the most comprehensive account of how the phrase ‘the meaning of life’ came to attain its current ubiquity that has yet been written. (more...)

The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness

Review of Uriah Kriegel (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2020, by Prof. Robert Zaborowski. (more...)

What’s Wrong with The Passion Economy?

Adam Davidson’s “The Passion Economy”

Adam Davidson describes the “Passion Economy” in a book released in 2020. This article shows why Davidson’s proposal is not a sustainable solution to fix our current relationship with work. (more...)

The Knowledge-Effect

Is more knowledge always better?

Awareness of the knowledge-effect is important because it is something we need strongly to guard against if we are to make good normative judgements. (more...)

Can We Define Mental Health?

Can we draw a line between people with psychiatric disorders and those without? (more...)

Deepfakes, deception, and distrust

Epistemic and social concerns

The main epistemic concern in the light of the potential ubiquity of deepfakes is not that we are going to be massively deceived. Global distrust and not global deception could be the ultimate consequence of deepfakes. (more...)

The Wind on Your Face

The limits of language are all there before us in the everyday. For there is no description or account of the wind on your face (nor of the experience of seeing a red rose) that could give you any idea at all what the wind on your face was like to have. (more...)

Shénnóng and the Agriculturalist School

According to Shénnóng, rulers had a limited number of very simple functions, mainly concerning agriculture. A ruler should teach people agricultural arts, inspect their fields, and keep a grain store. (more...)

How to Recognise Pure Awareness

Douglas Harding and the Headless Way

What is pure awareness? Douglas Harding (1909-2007) proposed a series of simple but surprising experiments that one can perform to learn more about oneself as the subject of one’s own first person view. (more...)

Confucianism and Just War

Since governments are charged with pursuing the popular well-being and not state power or prosperity, wars of aggression are illegitimate. - David Cockayne on how classic Confucianism would see wars. (more...)

Philosophy and Nuclear Weapons

In 1964, Bertrand Russell wrote that the philosopher’s duty was now to forget philosophy and to study “the probable effects of a nuclear war.” (more...)

Jeremy Bentham on Animal Ethics

Philosophy in Quotes

A history of philosophy in its most famous quotes. Today: Jeremy Bentham on the suffering of animals: “The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” (more...)

February 21, 2022

I’m depressed and it’s all your fault!

Separating depression from sadness

Are we driving ourselves insane? And have we been doing so for over a hundred years? To understand this, we need to understand how we came to think of ourselves as depressed. (more...)

February 7, 2022

The Empathy Paradox

It is often supposed that greater empathy is a good thing. But this is a mistake, unless one assumes that being empathetic will inevitably bring it about that one treats others better. (more...)

January 27, 2022

In Praise of Pyrrhonian Scepticism

Radical scepticism has a good claim to be both the longest lasting tradition in philosophy and the consistently least popular. There’s a lot to be said for it. (more...)

January 12, 2022

Nothing Matters. Or Does It?

What exactly do we mean when we say that “nothing matters”? More than sixty years ago, the British philosopher Richard Mervyn Hare attempted to answer this question in an early essay. (more...)

January 5, 2022

Meaning, Value, Death, and God

What makes our death bearable? How do we create meaning from the certainty of our own deaths? Prof. John Shand analyses the question. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

November 27, 2021

Luis de Miranda on Esprit de Corps

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda is the founder of the Philosophical Health movement, author of Being & Neonness (MIT Press) and Ensemblance (Edinburgh University Press). (more...)

November 22, 2021

Mother Knows Best

I know it’s got to be done. Even so, I still feel bad about it. If it were up to me, we would cancel the whole thing. Fortunately, it’s not. It’s up to Mother, and Mother knows best. (more...)

November 16, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine (2)

Part B. The Test of the Wine

Plato’s use of drunkenness, mainly in the Symposium but also in the Phaedrus, is a metaphor designed to defend Socrates’ philosophical inspiration. (more...)

November 8, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine

Part A. The Philosopher’s Drunken Vision

We discuss Plato’s description of Socrates’ philosophical inspiration as “drunkenness” and/or Dionysian mania; Plato’s metaphor draws on earlier Greek poetry. (more...)

November 1, 2021

If only I hadn’t done that...

Why counterfactuals are misleading

What if the Second World War had turned out differently? This article explains why counterfactuals and alternative histories can be misleading. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

September 20, 2021

Andrei Simionescu-Panait on Elegance

Philosopher interviews

Dr Simionescu-Panait talks about his research on the phenomenology of elegance, about ‘Socratic’ approaches to philosophical counseling and about his new book on elegance: “The Reconciled Body.” (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

September 2, 2021

Wael B. Hallaq on Islamic Law and Human Rights

Philosopher interviews

Wael B. Hallaq (وائل حلاق‎) is a leading scholar of Islamic law and Islamic intellectual history at Columbia University. In this interview, we ask his opinion on the tension between Western and Islamic conceptions of governance and human rights. (more...)

August 23, 2021

Why We Should Read Descartes

The overall aim of Descartes’ philosophy is to found science on a secure and absolutely certain footing. Without that anything built by science would be open to doubt following from the weakness of its foundation. (more...)

August 18, 2021

Luca Possati on Transhumanism

Philosopher interviews

Luca M. Possati is researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Educated as philosopher, he has been lecturer at the Institut Catholique de Paris and associate researcher of the Fonds Ricoeur and EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales). (more...)

August 16, 2021

Inventing the New World

Can AIs have intellectual property?

For the first time in history, an AI called DABUS has been granted a patent in South Africa. This article analyses the metaphysics of attributing inventions to non-human agents. (more...)

August 11, 2021

Nudges

The hidden influencers

In a book published in 2008, R. H. Thaler and C. R. Sunstein define nudges as “any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way.” (more...)

Agency in the Anthropocene

How much choice do you actually have?

If we are natural beings who evolved with everything else, why have we had such a hugely detrimental impact on that biosphere, which also happens to be our home? (more...)

What Are We Responsible For?

Intentions, consequences and character

How far does our responsibility extend? What can we rightly be regarded as responsible for? (more...)

Luis de Miranda on Philosophical Health

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda lives in Sweden and is a philosophical practitioner, founder of the Philosophical Health movement. (more...)

The New Companion

I’m not gonna lie to you: when I finally received the cybermail notification that my purchase was approved and I could pick it up from the Companions ‘R’ Us warehouse in Manchester, I was literally electrified. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Happy in a Concentration Camp?

It's possible, says Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who, because of his Jewish descent, spent the last six months of World War II in a German concentration camp, which he barely survived. (more...)

More Aristotle than Galileo?

Artificial Intelligence and scientific discovery

Can artificial intelligence discover new laws of physics? Possibly. An article in Technology Review suggests that data from a swinging pendulum experiment allowed a neural network to discover some of the laws of motion. (more...)

Happy Endings

Does size or shape matter most?

We’ve heard it all our lives — size matters and bigger is better. But David Velleman wants you to believe that shape can matter more! (more...)

Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia

The main arguments

This a systematic survey of the arguments and counterarguments that are most commonly in play when considering the ethical rights and wrong of euthanasia and whether it should be legally permitted. (more...)

Asimov’s Psychohistory

The illusive quest to predict the future

Why is it so difficult to make predictions about society? The problem is not the complexity of the task, but the concepts we use to think about the world. (more...)

Are You A Nihilist?

A Defence of Nihilism

The terminology of ‘nihilism’ and ‘the meaning of life’ emerged among a small group of German philosophers at the end of the 18th century who were worried about the French Enlightenment. (more...)

Psychological Hedonism

You Know You Want It

According to Psychological Hedonism, we are all just looking for fun. Psychological Hedonism is a theory about motivation. (more...)

What to Do When People Talk #$!!~#

The importance of meaningful disagreement

Can two people’s experiences and outlooks on life be so different that meaningful communication between them is impossible? Recent events suggest so. (more...)

Simulating Pleasure

If it feels good, does it matter whether it’s real?

Nozick asked readers to imagine a machine produced by “super-duper neuropsychologists” that could give you any experience you could think of without you realising it was all a computer simulation. He called it the Experience Machine. (more...)

Old Age and Death

Epicurus on trouble in the soul

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus emphasises that, in a world that works according to physical laws, nobody ought to be afraid of either the gods or one’s own death. (more...)

The Real Happiness Machine

Ray Bradbury on living and dying well

In many of Bradbury’s stories we can find an entire philosophy of life that is well worth discovering and adopting. (more...)

Aldous Huxley’s “Island”

An even braver new world?

The last book of visionary writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Island, is a bold attempt to envision a utopian society that provides its members with everything they need to achieve happiness in life. (more...)

February 26, 2021

Monism, Dualism and the Philosophy of Mind

Do we have a soul?

The human mind is unique and we know of no other comparable phenomenon in the universe. The philosophy of mind (monism, dualism, computationalism) attempts to explain what exactly the mind is. (more...)

January 9, 2021

How to Live an Aristotelian Life

Become happy through being good

Aristotle’s theory of happiness rests on three concepts: (1) the virtues; (2) phronesis or practical wisdom; and (3) eudaimonia or flourishing. (more...)

December 18, 2020

The Paradoxes of Zeno of Elea

Does an arrow really fly?

Zeno of Elea (490-430 BC) is famous for his paradoxes that seem to prove, among other points, that no movement is possible. If an arrow in flight is standing still whenever we take a photograph of it, when is it actually moving? (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

November 24, 2020

The Ethics of Organ Transplants

Can you kill one to save many?

Are we ever allowed to kill one in order to save many lives? Utilitarianism would look at the overall benefit and conclude that this might be permissible. (more...)

The Four Qualities of Life

Veenhoven on the different meanings of happiness

Ruut Veenhoven, Dutch sociologist, distinguishes four different types of happiness: 1. objective vs subjective quality of life and 2. chances vs outcomes. (more...)

Category: Bioethics

Abortion: The Unconscious Violinist Argument

Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Is abortion ethical? Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson created one of the most well-known thought experiments in modern ethics. In her 1971 paper “A Defense of Abortion,” she presents the thought experiment of the unconscious violinist. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

Is Abortion Ethical?

The main arguments

Is abortion morally right? We look at the main arguments for and against abortion. (more...)

New: The Accented Philosophy Podcast

First episode: Ethics of vaccination passports

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. (more...)

Who Gets the Vaccine First?

Philosopher John Rawls on justice and privilege

How should we go about distributing a scarce vaccine? Philosopher John Rawls formulated two principles of justice that we can use to guide our decisions. (more...)

Vaccination Ethics

Can the state force us to get vaccinated?

Vaccination ethics is a surprisingly rich field of philosophical inquiry, and it covers issues from all major moral theories, reaching into world politics, poverty, the role of the state and the morality of taxation and car seat belts. (more...)

December 1, 2020

What Is a Fair Share of Life?

The Fair Innings Argument in bioethics

The “Fair Innings Argument” assumes that there is such a thing as a fair share of life. But can we compare different lives in this way? (more...)

Category: Biographies

August 16, 2024

The Hermit of the Lonely Loch

Aspiring hermits have many motivations. Smith eloquently testifies to his reasons, some of them deeply personal. (more...)

May 10: Happy Birthday, Karl Barth!

Christianity does not accept any leader beside God

Karl Barth, born May 10, insisted that the Church should not collaborate with the Nazi state in Germany. (more...)

Erich Fromm (1900-1980)

The unconscious forces that shape our societies

Erich Fromm (1900-1980) was a German social psychologist and philosopher who had enormous popular success from the 1950s all the way to the end of his life in 1980. We discuss his work and his relation to Marxism and Freud. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to the Philosophy of Erich Fromm

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Erich Fromm’s philosophy of happiness. We discuss his life, his ideas and his main works, both in their historical context and how they are still relevant for us today. (more...)

Women Philosophers Throughout History

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Women philosophers: Gargi Vachaknavi, Aspasia, Ban Zhao, Hypatia of Alexandria, Rabia al-Adawiyya, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Nana Asma’u. (more...)

The Princess and the Soul

Elisabeth of Bohemia and Rene Descartes

Descartes admired her intelligence and Leibniz stood at her deathbed, but during most of her life, she was a penniless refugee. Meet Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia. (more...)

November 17, 2023

Sartre and the Lobsters

On Fear, Longing, and Love

In 1935, a bad trip triggered Jean-Paul Sartre’s deep-rooted fear of sea creatures. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by crabs and lobsters. (more...)

October 2, 2022

October 2: Happy Birthday, Mahatma Gandhi!

Last Friday was the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom they called the Mahatma, the Great Soul. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

August 28, 2021

The Hermit of Suwarrow

The adventures of Tom Neale (1902-1977)

Tom Neale spent a total of fourteen years alone on a little island in the Suwarrow Atoll in the South Pacific, where he found peace and happiness in solitude. We have a look at this extraordinary life. (more...)

Epicurus (341-270 BC)

The misunderstood ascetic

Epicurus (341-270 BC) is often seen as an advocate of a luxurious life, rich in good food and other pleasures. This is incorrect. (more...)

April 26, 121 AD: Marcus Aurelius is born

Reluctant emperor of Rome, fighter and Stoic philosopher

April 26, 121 AD marks the birthday of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who still inspires us today with his sense of humility and duty. (more...)

Timeline: The Life of Aristotle

An infographic of Aristotle’s life

A timeline of Aristotle’s life shown over a map of ancient Greece. (more...)

February 4, 2021

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Not all who wander are lost

Aristotle (384-322 BC), born in Stageira, Greece, is one of the most influential philosophers who ever lived. He worked not only in philosophy, but also wrote dozens of books on all topics, from astronomy and biology to literary theory. (more...)

February 1, 2021

Bertrand Russell (1892-1970)

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher and writer, one of the most important analytic philosophers of the 20th century. (more...)

October 23, 2020

Thales of Miletus

A stroll through the history of philosophy

Thales of Miletus is generally cited as one of the first philosophers, although his contributions extended to many sciences and even to business endeavors. (more...)

September 26, 2020

September 26: Happy Birthday, Martin Heidegger!

September 26: Martin Heidegger’s Birthday (1889-1976) (more...)

September 22, 2020

September 22: John Conway (1937-2020)

The inventor of the Game of Life

John Horton Conway (1937-2020), mathematician, inventor of the “Game of Life” simulation of cellular automata. (more...)

August 26, 2020

August 26: Happy Birthday, Mother Teresa!

Being good doesn’t mean that one has to be perfect.

Mother Teresa, born August 26, was a divisive Saint who devoted her life to the care of the poorest in Calcutta, India. (more...)

August 19, 2018

August 19: Happy Birthday, Gene Roddenberry!

Creator of Star Trek and dreamer for a better world

Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek (August 19, 1921 - October 24, 1991). (more...)

August 19, 2018

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

Are philosophers like map-makers?

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976) was a British philosopher, primarily concerned with the nature of the mind and the role of philosophy in the world. (more...)

Category: Birthday

May 10: Happy Birthday, Karl Barth!

Christianity does not accept any leader beside God

Karl Barth, born May 10, insisted that the Church should not collaborate with the Nazi state in Germany. (more...)

August 23, 2021

August 23: Happy Birthday, #hashtag!

Where would we be without the hashtag?

The symbol #, which we today call the hashtag, has had a profound influence on our culture, from IRC and Twitter to #MeToo. It was invented on August 23, 2007. (more...)

April 25: Happy Birthday, Genetic Engineering!

April 25, 1953: Watson and Crick publish DNA double helix

On April 25, 1953, Watson and Crick published their paper on the structure of the DNA molecule in the journal Nature. This was the beginning of all modern molecular biology and genetic engineering. (more...)

September 23, 2020

September 23: Happy Birthday, Kublai Khan!

Xanadu, poets, pop singers, and a day devoid of significance

Did you know that singer Olivia Newton-John is the granddaughter of the famous physicist Max Born, one of the two people who claimed to have discovered the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics? (more...)

September 22, 2020

September 22: John Conway (1937-2020)

The inventor of the Game of Life

John Horton Conway (1937-2020), mathematician, inventor of the “Game of Life” simulation of cellular automata. (more...)

September 21, 2020

September 21: Happy Birthday, Bill Murray!

Without Bill Murray many movies of the past 44 years would have been a lot less memorable. (more...)

August 30, 2020

August 27: Happy Birthday, Human Rights!

August 27, 1789: Declaration of the Rights of the Man and the Citizen

The French Declaration of the Rights of the Man and the Citizen is a remarkable document, not only because its main ideas found their way into many national constitutions and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (more...)

August 26, 2020

August 26: Happy Birthday, Mother Teresa!

Being good doesn’t mean that one has to be perfect.

Mother Teresa, born August 26, was a divisive Saint who devoted her life to the care of the poorest in Calcutta, India. (more...)

August 25, 2020

August 25: Happy Birthday, Galileo’s Telescope!

Was Galileo ultimately right?

Being right is a relative thing. No one illustrates this better than today’s celebrant: Galileo’s telescope, presented to the world on August 25, 1609. (more...)

August 25, 2020

August 25: Happy Birthday, Gutenberg Bible!

How the world changed on an August afternoon in 1456

In 1456, Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany, printed the first Bible with his new printing press using moveable type. In time, this led to an explosion of books and literacy and to the world as we know it today. (more...)

August 22, 2020

August 22: Happy Birthday, Geneva Conventions and Ray Bradbury!

If the Geneva Conventions didn’t exist, Ray Bradbury might have invented them.

August 22 marks the birthday of both the first Geneva Convention (1864) and science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) (more...)

August 21, 2020

August 21: Happy Birthday, Sergey Brin!

Are we allowed to be evil now?

Today marks the birthday of Sergey Brin of Google fame and the first public presentation of William Burroughs’ calculating machine in 1888. (more...)

August 20, 2020

August 20: Happy Birthday, H.P. Lovecraft!

Lovecraft (1890-1937), creator of ancient horror gods

August 20, 1890: Birthday of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. (more...)

April 5: Happy Birthday, Thomas Hobbes!

Can the government do whatever it wants?

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) created the Social Contract theory, which aims to explain how governments derive their power from the will of the citizens. (more...)

August 19, 2018

August 19: Happy Birthday, Gene Roddenberry!

Creator of Star Trek and dreamer for a better world

Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek (August 19, 1921 - October 24, 1991). (more...)

Category: Book reviews

September 20, 2024

Irvin Yalom: The Spinoza Problem

Irvin Yalom’s (b. 1931) The Spinoza Problem: A Novel (Basic Books 2013) intertwines history and philosophy, offering a fresh perspective on two distinct but connected lives. (more...)

James Tartaglia: Inner Space Philosophy

Tartaglia’s sometimes uneven exploration of how philosophy could be popularised is hugely amusing and entertaining at places, but it also has parts that don’t quite live up to its promise. (more...)

Timothy Morton: Hell

Hell is utterly impossible to put down just because of the sheer force of its language… (more...)

Christopher Hamilton: Rapture

Christopher Hamilton’s “Rapture” is a very pleasant, well-written, intelligent, and inspiring essay on the many meanings of human lives. (more...)

Misanthropes – Literary and Philosophical

Book review: Misanthropy in the Age of Reason

Joseph Harris (2022). Misanthropy in the Age of Reason: Hating Humanity from Shakespeare to Schiller. Oxford University Press. 304 pages. Hardcover: 73. (more...)

Just Fodder Book Review

A reply to Andreas Matthias

Author’s reply to a review in Daily Philosophy of: Josh Milburn, “Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals.” (more...)

Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals

Josh Milburn’s “Just Fodder” is a very thoughtful and rigorous analysis of the ethical issues related to feeding animals. (more...)

How to Think Like a Philosopher

Peter Cave’s “How to Think Like a Philosopher” is a very enjoyable introduction into Western philosophy. Light, conversational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating. (more...)

February 5, 2023

Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?

Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa? by Brandon Robshaw, is a very clear, instructive and carefully argued book that shows off philosophy at its best. (more...)

December 16, 2022

Superhero Thought Experiments

Superhero Thought Experiments, by Chris Gavaler and Nathaniel Goldberg, is a very enjoyable book that presents classic arguments from philosophy by discussing examples of superhero comics. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

Steven Cassedy: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Meaning

Altogether this is the most comprehensive account of how the phrase ‘the meaning of life’ came to attain its current ubiquity that has yet been written. (more...)

The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness

Review of Uriah Kriegel (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2020, by Prof. Robert Zaborowski. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

Category: Books

James Tartaglia: Inner Space Philosophy

Tartaglia’s sometimes uneven exploration of how philosophy could be popularised is hugely amusing and entertaining at places, but it also has parts that don’t quite live up to its promise. (more...)

Timothy Morton: Hell

Hell is utterly impossible to put down just because of the sheer force of its language… (more...)

Christopher Hamilton: Rapture

Christopher Hamilton’s “Rapture” is a very pleasant, well-written, intelligent, and inspiring essay on the many meanings of human lives. (more...)

Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals

Josh Milburn’s “Just Fodder” is a very thoughtful and rigorous analysis of the ethical issues related to feeding animals. (more...)

How to Think Like a Philosopher

Peter Cave’s “How to Think Like a Philosopher” is a very enjoyable introduction into Western philosophy. Light, conversational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating. (more...)

Category: Books papers

Abortion: The Unconscious Violinist Argument

Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Is abortion ethical? Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson created one of the most well-known thought experiments in modern ethics. In her 1971 paper “A Defense of Abortion,” she presents the thought experiment of the unconscious violinist. (more...)

Abortion: The Unconscious Violinist Argument

Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Is abortion ethical? Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson created one of the most well-known thought experiments in modern ethics. In her 1971 paper “A Defense of Abortion,” she presents the thought experiment of the unconscious violinist. (more...)

February 23, 2024

Kant's conception of freedom

Using reason to resist manipulation

Kant on using reason to critically examine our inclinations and uncover the forces that manipulate and misinform us. (more...)

February 23, 2024

Kant's conception of freedom

Using reason to resist manipulation

Kant on using reason to critically examine our inclinations and uncover the forces that manipulate and misinform us. (more...)

February 17, 2024

A Better Society?

Bonanno's utopian anarchism

Bonanno stands apart with his radical, borderline utopian critique of modern society. (more...)

February 17, 2024

A Better Society?

Bonanno's utopian anarchism

Bonanno stands apart with his radical, borderline utopian critique of modern society. (more...)

December 27, 2023

The Power of Love

Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

In his book “The Art of Loving,” psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm discusses how love is misunderstood in modern societies. (more...)

December 27, 2023

The Power of Love

Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

In his book “The Art of Loving,” psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm discusses how love is misunderstood in modern societies. (more...)

November 28, 2023

The Universe as a Game

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (4)

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game is a grand vision of a formal system that describes the hidden harmony of the universe. (more...)

November 28, 2023

The Universe as a Game

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (4)

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game is a grand vision of a formal system that describes the hidden harmony of the universe. (more...)

October 25, 2023

The Fabled East

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (3)

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game contains multiple references to Chinese philosophy and religion. We unpack Hesse’s orientalist utopia. (more...)

October 25, 2023

The Fabled East

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (3)

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game contains multiple references to Chinese philosophy and religion. We unpack Hesse’s orientalist utopia. (more...)

October 9, 2023

The Province of the Mind

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (2)

At the centre of Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game is a grand vision of life in Castalia, a province of scholars. (more...)

October 9, 2023

The Province of the Mind

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (2)

At the centre of Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game is a grand vision of life in Castalia, a province of scholars. (more...)

October 2, 2023

Would a Society of Intellectuals Be a Better Place?

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game

Hermann Hesse’s ‘The Glass Bead Game’ may be his greatest novel. It combines a theory of history and education with Zen, and meditations on friendship and duty. (more...)

October 2, 2023

Would a Society of Intellectuals Be a Better Place?

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game

Hermann Hesse’s ‘The Glass Bead Game’ may be his greatest novel. It combines a theory of history and education with Zen, and meditations on friendship and duty. (more...)

Coronation: The Captivating Story of Monarchies

Moore and Gillette on what makes a king

In this article, which accompanies the third in our series of philosophy videos, we look at the spiritual side of royalty. (more...)

Coronation: The Captivating Story of Monarchies

Moore and Gillette on what makes a king

In this article, which accompanies the third in our series of philosophy videos, we look at the spiritual side of royalty. (more...)

Unpacking Descartes’ Meditations

A Daily Philosophy primer

This short primer explores René Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, his contribution to rationalism, and his impact on early modern philosophy. (more...)

Unpacking Descartes’ Meditations

A Daily Philosophy primer

This short primer explores René Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, his contribution to rationalism, and his impact on early modern philosophy. (more...)

December 7, 2022

The Cicada and the Bird

Chuang Tzu's ancient wisdom translated for modern life

For Chuang Tzu, the Tao is the surface isness (the presenting phenomenology) of things. Excerpt from the book The Cicada and the Bird by Christopher Tricker. (more...)

December 7, 2022

The Cicada and the Bird

Chuang Tzu's ancient wisdom translated for modern life

For Chuang Tzu, the Tao is the surface isness (the presenting phenomenology) of things. Excerpt from the book The Cicada and the Bird by Christopher Tricker. (more...)

December 2, 2022

Passing Beyond Descartes

Ever since René Descartes wrote, in 1641, ‘The mind is really distinct from the body,’ we have struggled with the mind-body problem. (more...)

December 2, 2022

Passing Beyond Descartes

Ever since René Descartes wrote, in 1641, ‘The mind is really distinct from the body,’ we have struggled with the mind-body problem. (more...)

November 12, 2022

Books that Lead You to Philosophy

Karl Popper: The Open Society and Its Enemies

What are the books that brought us to philosophy? For John Shand, philosophy professor at the Open University, it was Karl Popper’s “The Open Society and Its Enemies” (more...)

November 12, 2022

Books that Lead You to Philosophy

Karl Popper: The Open Society and Its Enemies

What are the books that brought us to philosophy? For John Shand, philosophy professor at the Open University, it was Karl Popper’s “The Open Society and Its Enemies” (more...)

October 7, 2022

A Short History of Happiness

From Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness

The pursuit of happiness has always been one of the main driving forces of human lives. This article recounts the amazing history of the concept of happiness, from ancient times to today, from Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness. (more...)

October 7, 2022

A Short History of Happiness

From Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness

The pursuit of happiness has always been one of the main driving forces of human lives. This article recounts the amazing history of the concept of happiness, from ancient times to today, from Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness. (more...)

September 19, 2022

The Homeric Poems First of All

The poems of Homer, the Ilias and the Odyssey, mark the proper start of Greek civilization and can be seen as what shaped Greek identity, argues ancient philosophy Professsor Livio Rossetti. (more...)

September 19, 2022

The Homeric Poems First of All

The poems of Homer, the Ilias and the Odyssey, mark the proper start of Greek civilization and can be seen as what shaped Greek identity, argues ancient philosophy Professsor Livio Rossetti. (more...)

September 16, 2022

50 Answers

What do religions say about fate?

An insightful new book sheds light on how a rich tapestry of religions answer life’s biggest questions. (more...)

September 16, 2022

50 Answers

What do religions say about fate?

An insightful new book sheds light on how a rich tapestry of religions answer life’s biggest questions. (more...)

August 22, 2022

How Free is Free Enough?

Ronald Dworkin on free speech and censorship

Today, we are confronted with the need to weigh free speech against other values like inclusivity, respect and tolerance. We look at the arguments of philosopher Ronald Dworkin in defence of free speech. (more...)

August 22, 2022

How Free is Free Enough?

Ronald Dworkin on free speech and censorship

Today, we are confronted with the need to weigh free speech against other values like inclusivity, respect and tolerance. We look at the arguments of philosopher Ronald Dworkin in defence of free speech. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy

A new Daily Philosophy book

Daily Philosophy has launched a new book, “Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy,” which takes us on a journey to the world of the Frankfurt School and Social Psychology. (more...)

Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy

A new Daily Philosophy book

Daily Philosophy has launched a new book, “Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy,” which takes us on a journey to the world of the Frankfurt School and Social Psychology. (more...)

Epicurus: A Guide to the Principal Doctrines

Text, commentary and study guide

The Principal Doctrines is the main work of Epicurus on happiness. This article presents the original text with explanations and discussion questions. It also includes tips for organising an Epicurus reading group or book club. (more...)

Epicurus: A Guide to the Principal Doctrines

Text, commentary and study guide

The Principal Doctrines is the main work of Epicurus on happiness. This article presents the original text with explanations and discussion questions. It also includes tips for organising an Epicurus reading group or book club. (more...)

January 24, 2022

The Dialectic of Enlightenment

Horkheimer, Adorno and the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School is generally taken to mean a lose collection of thinkers who first congregated around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (more...)

January 24, 2022

The Dialectic of Enlightenment

Horkheimer, Adorno and the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School is generally taken to mean a lose collection of thinkers who first congregated around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (more...)

January 12, 2022

Nothing Matters. Or Does It?

What exactly do we mean when we say that “nothing matters”? More than sixty years ago, the British philosopher Richard Mervyn Hare attempted to answer this question in an early essay. (more...)

January 12, 2022

Nothing Matters. Or Does It?

What exactly do we mean when we say that “nothing matters”? More than sixty years ago, the British philosopher Richard Mervyn Hare attempted to answer this question in an early essay. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

Happy in a Concentration Camp?

It's possible, says Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who, because of his Jewish descent, spent the last six months of World War II in a German concentration camp, which he barely survived. (more...)

Happy in a Concentration Camp?

It's possible, says Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who, because of his Jewish descent, spent the last six months of World War II in a German concentration camp, which he barely survived. (more...)

Asimov’s Psychohistory

The illusive quest to predict the future

Why is it so difficult to make predictions about society? The problem is not the complexity of the task, but the concepts we use to think about the world. (more...)

Asimov’s Psychohistory

The illusive quest to predict the future

Why is it so difficult to make predictions about society? The problem is not the complexity of the task, but the concepts we use to think about the world. (more...)

Stephanie Mills: Epicurean Simplicity

Is a simple life the key to happiness?

In her book “Epicurean Simplicity,” author and activist Stephanie Mills analyses what is wrong with our modern way of life. (more...)

Stephanie Mills: Epicurean Simplicity

Is a simple life the key to happiness?

In her book “Epicurean Simplicity,” author and activist Stephanie Mills analyses what is wrong with our modern way of life. (more...)

The Real Happiness Machine

Ray Bradbury on living and dying well

In many of Bradbury’s stories we can find an entire philosophy of life that is well worth discovering and adopting. (more...)

The Real Happiness Machine

Ray Bradbury on living and dying well

In many of Bradbury’s stories we can find an entire philosophy of life that is well worth discovering and adopting. (more...)

Aldous Huxley’s “Island”

An even braver new world?

The last book of visionary writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Island, is a bold attempt to envision a utopian society that provides its members with everything they need to achieve happiness in life. (more...)

Aldous Huxley’s “Island”

An even braver new world?

The last book of visionary writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Island, is a bold attempt to envision a utopian society that provides its members with everything they need to achieve happiness in life. (more...)

Introductions to Philosophy

The three best books for the beginner

We discuss the three best introductory books to philosophy. (more...)

Introductions to Philosophy

The three best books for the beginner

We discuss the three best introductory books to philosophy. (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

Category: Classics

Boltzmann Brains and Epistemology

Entropy can be calculated with a concept called multiplicity. The multiplicity is the number of indistinguishable possibilities that could cause the results we observe. (more...)

Liberty, Democracy, Justice

Can the Center Hold?

In the Republic, Plato speaks of society in metaphorical terms as “our city of words.” The dialogue is essentially about justice as a human virtue. (more...)

Abortion: The Unconscious Violinist Argument

Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Is abortion ethical? Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson created one of the most well-known thought experiments in modern ethics. In her 1971 paper “A Defense of Abortion,” she presents the thought experiment of the unconscious violinist. (more...)

Live Like a Corpse

How acceptance of death set the samurai free

Japanese martial philosophy has been mythologized to nefarious ends, but that does not mean it has nothing to teach well-adjusted individuals. (more...)

Kant’s Ethics: What is a Categorical Imperative?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Kant’s ethics is based on the value of one’s motivation and two so-called Categorical Imperatives, or general rules that must apply to every action. (more...)

What is ethics?

Of means and ends

Ethics is the study of how we ought to behave, and why. There are many different theories of ethics, which we briefly discuss in this article. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to the Philosophy of Erich Fromm

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Erich Fromm’s philosophy of happiness. We discuss his life, his ideas and his main works, both in their historical context and how they are still relevant for us today. (more...)

December 27, 2023

The Power of Love

Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

In his book “The Art of Loving,” psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm discusses how love is misunderstood in modern societies. (more...)

December 13, 2023

Plato’s Theory of Forms

Stepping out of the shadows and into the light

For every thing in the real world, there is a “perfect” image somewhere in the world of Forms. A perfect cat, a perfect tree, a perfect circle. (more...)

December 7, 2023

The Presocratics

The most important thinkers and their ideas

The Presocratic philosophers were a group of thinkers who lived in ancient Greece before the time of Socrates. They were interested in understanding the natural world and the underlying principles that govern it. (more...)

October 13, 2023

Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was ambivalent towards philosophy. In just the same way that philosophy purports to explain the world, so too does psychoanalysis. (more...)

Plato’s Apology

Plato’s Apology of Socrates is one of the greatest speeches in the history of mankind. It shows Socrates’ personality and humour, as well as being a meditation on justice and honesty. (more...)

Plato’s Symposium - Part 1

An introduction

Plato’s Symposium is one of humanity’s immortal texts on love. Seven friends gather at a party one night in ancient Athens and discuss the nature of love. (more...)

Sartre’s Existentialism

Sartre’s discourse “Existentialism is a Humanism” can be broken down into five concepts: Existence precedes essence, Freedom, Responsibility, Anguish and Bad Faith. (more...)

The Most Hated Philosopher: Spinoza on God

Philosophy in Quotes

“The eternal and infinite being we call ‘God’ or ‘Nature’ necessarily acts as it does,” writes Spinoza. But what does this mean? (more...)

What is Utilitarianism?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that states that the morally right action maximizes happiness or benefit and minimizes pain or harm for all stakeholders. Proponents of classic utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). (more...)

Hobbes Reconsidered

Hobbes’s conception of humankind in a state of nature begins with the idea that everyone is more or less equal and free. (more...)

Unpacking Descartes’ Meditations

A Daily Philosophy primer

This short primer explores René Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, his contribution to rationalism, and his impact on early modern philosophy. (more...)

January 22, 2023

Albert Schweitzer on the Reverence for Life

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Philosopher and Theologian Albert Schweitzer on the Reverence for Life. (more...)

January 6, 2023

What does “March of the Penguins” have to do with Kant?

According to Kant, we wouldn’t be able to talk about ethics at all if we couldn’t see us as free beings who are capable of deciding. (more...)

December 7, 2022

The Cicada and the Bird

Chuang Tzu's ancient wisdom translated for modern life

For Chuang Tzu, the Tao is the surface isness (the presenting phenomenology) of things. Excerpt from the book The Cicada and the Bird by Christopher Tricker. (more...)

December 2, 2022

Passing Beyond Descartes

Ever since René Descartes wrote, in 1641, ‘The mind is really distinct from the body,’ we have struggled with the mind-body problem. (more...)

November 12, 2022

Books that Lead You to Philosophy

Karl Popper: The Open Society and Its Enemies

What are the books that brought us to philosophy? For John Shand, philosophy professor at the Open University, it was Karl Popper’s “The Open Society and Its Enemies” (more...)

September 19, 2022

The Homeric Poems First of All

The poems of Homer, the Ilias and the Odyssey, mark the proper start of Greek civilization and can be seen as what shaped Greek identity, argues ancient philosophy Professsor Livio Rossetti. (more...)

August 26, 2022

Kant’s Categories and the Stevenson Screen

One way of thinking about and getting an understanding of Kant’s Categories is to draw an analogy with the Stevenson Screen. This article sheds light on what Kant’s Categories are and how they function in our understanding of the world. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

Pyrrhonism: Some Clarifications

A reply to Stephen Leach

Compared to other Hellenistic schools of thought, like Stoicism and Epicureanism, Pyrrhonism was systematically neglected throughout the history of Western philosophy… (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to Epicurus

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Epicurus’ philosophy of happiness. Epicurus is one of the few ancient philosophers who are more relevant today than they were in their own times. Learn all about him right here. (more...)

Epicurus: A Guide to the Principal Doctrines

Text, commentary and study guide

The Principal Doctrines is the main work of Epicurus on happiness. This article presents the original text with explanations and discussion questions. It also includes tips for organising an Epicurus reading group or book club. (more...)

Jeremy Bentham on Animal Ethics

Philosophy in Quotes

A history of philosophy in its most famous quotes. Today: Jeremy Bentham on the suffering of animals: “The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” (more...)

February 16, 2022

Socrates on Knowing Nothing

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Socrates on knowing that you know nothing. (more...)

February 12, 2022

Immanuel Kant on Means and Ends

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Immanuel Kant on how to treat human beings. (more...)

February 5, 2022

Marcus Aurelius on Opinions

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes. Today: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul…” (more...)

January 27, 2022

In Praise of Pyrrhonian Scepticism

Radical scepticism has a good claim to be both the longest lasting tradition in philosophy and the consistently least popular. There’s a lot to be said for it. (more...)

January 24, 2022

The Dialectic of Enlightenment

Horkheimer, Adorno and the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School is generally taken to mean a lose collection of thinkers who first congregated around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (more...)

January 17, 2022

Taking the Crowded Bus of Life

Epictetus on the Stoic attitude

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus (50-135 AD), one of the most important Stoic philosophers in history, recommends seeing obstacles in our lives as opportunities to improve. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

December 13, 2021

The Stoic View of the Self

Being in someone else’s shoes

For the Stoics, everything that happens to us seems to have a special significance that the same event wouldn’t have if it happened to someone else. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

November 16, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine (2)

Part B. The Test of the Wine

Plato’s use of drunkenness, mainly in the Symposium but also in the Phaedrus, is a metaphor designed to defend Socrates’ philosophical inspiration. (more...)

November 12, 2021

Stoic Control

How to stay calm in everyday life

At the core of the Stoic theory of happiness is our ability to control our thoughts. The wise man should try to exercise control over what they can control and not try to control what they cannot. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

November 8, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine

Part A. The Philosopher’s Drunken Vision

We discuss Plato’s description of Socrates’ philosophical inspiration as “drunkenness” and/or Dionysian mania; Plato’s metaphor draws on earlier Greek poetry. (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

August 23, 2021

Why We Should Read Descartes

The overall aim of Descartes’ philosophy is to found science on a secure and absolutely certain footing. Without that anything built by science would be open to doubt following from the weakness of its foundation. (more...)

Living Epicurus Today

What is a 21st century Epicurean?

So has Epicurean living become so expensive today as to exclude most of us from practising it? Does one need to be rich in order to be able to afford the simple life? (more...)

What Are Friends For?

Epicurus on Friendship

Epicurus’ view on the value of friends has often been romanticised and equally often misunderstood. Here, we discuss Epicurus’ philosophy of friendship. (more...)

Epicurus: The Wise Man and the Fool

What’s wrong about being a happy fool?

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus once wrote that “the misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.” But why would that be so? It becomes clearer when we look at Epicurus’ theory of desires. (more...)

Kant’s Praiseworthy Motivation

Ethical behaviour can be demanding

A core feature of Kant’s ethics is his insistence on the value of one’s motivation for the morality of an action. As opposed to utilitarianism, Kant does not look at the consequences when judging actions, but only at what he calls the “good will.” (more...)

It’s A New Sun Every Day

Heraclitus and Epicurus on accepting change

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said that one cannot step into the same river twice. But what does this really mean? And what can we learn from this for our own lives? (more...)

Old Age and Death

Epicurus on trouble in the soul

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus emphasises that, in a world that works according to physical laws, nobody ought to be afraid of either the gods or one’s own death. (more...)

Reading Epicurus: Pleasure and pain

Is happiness only the absence of pain?

For Epicurus, pleasure is nothing but the absence of pain. Pain can further be subdivided into pain of the body and trouble in the soul. (more...)

Are some desires better than others?

Epicurus on what is natural and what is vain

Epicurus believed that the most reliable way to be happy is to reduce one’s desires until it’s easy to satisfy them. (more...)

Epicureanism: The Basic Idea

Is it so hard to satisfy our senses?

Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC) believes that the way to ensure happiness throughout life is to reduce one’s desires so that they can be easily fulfilled. (more...)

Epicurus (341-270 BC)

The misunderstood ascetic

Epicurus (341-270 BC) is often seen as an advocate of a luxurious life, rich in good food and other pleasures. This is incorrect. (more...)

April 26, 121 AD: Marcus Aurelius is born

Reluctant emperor of Rome, fighter and Stoic philosopher

April 26, 121 AD marks the birthday of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who still inspires us today with his sense of humility and duty. (more...)

Infographic: Love - History of a Concept

A graphic timeline of love from ancient Greece to now

A timeline of the concept of love, from Plato and Aristotle, through early Christianity, courtly love and Christian mysticism, to romantic love and love towards robots. (more...)

Timeline: The Life of Aristotle

An infographic of Aristotle’s life

A timeline of Aristotle’s life shown over a map of ancient Greece. (more...)

Introductions to Philosophy

The three best books for the beginner

We discuss the three best introductory books to philosophy. (more...)

February 14, 2021

Bertrand Russell on How to Find Happiness

The Conquest of Happiness

In “The Conquest of Happiness”, Russell argues that what makes us happy is an active life, directed by a deep and sustained interest in the world. (more...)

February 9, 2021

The Conquest of Unhappiness

Bertrand Russell proposes happiness as an antidote to envy. Someone who is happy will be content with what they have and will not be looking to compare themselves with others. (more...)

February 8, 2021

The Conquest of Happiness and Why It Matters Today

Bertrand Russell on how to be happy

Bertrand Russell’s book ‘The Conquest of Happiness’ (1930) attempts to analyse the conditions for happiness in our modern world, focusing on the different mindsets of the unhappy and the happy person. (more...)

February 4, 2021

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Not all who wander are lost

Aristotle (384-322 BC), born in Stageira, Greece, is one of the most influential philosophers who ever lived. He worked not only in philosophy, but also wrote dozens of books on all topics, from astronomy and biology to literary theory. (more...)

February 1, 2021

Bertrand Russell (1892-1970)

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher and writer, one of the most important analytic philosophers of the 20th century. (more...)

January 25, 2021

Martha Nussbaum and the Capabilities Approach

What makes a human life worth living?

In the capabilities approach, philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that a human life, in order to reach its highest potential, must include a number of “capabilities” – that is, of actual possibilities that one can realise in one’s life. (more...)

January 9, 2021

How to Live an Aristotelian Life

Become happy through being good

Aristotle’s theory of happiness rests on three concepts: (1) the virtues; (2) phronesis or practical wisdom; and (3) eudaimonia or flourishing. (more...)

December 29, 2020

One Year, Six Ways: A Philosophical Experiment

Daily Philosophy has an idea for this year’s resolution: live your life like a philosopher. Come along to the One Year, Six Ways project! (more...)

December 27, 2020

Aristotle on being human

What is the function of human beings?

For Aristotle, happiness is connected to function. Everything in the universe has a function, and a happy human life is one in which we fulfil that function. (more...)

December 22, 2020

Plato and Christianity

Perfection, theosophy and organic hand-creams

Plato’s ideas about the eternal world of perfect Forms provided a template upon which Christian philosophers could build their vision of the eternal, transcendent realm of God. (more...)

December 18, 2020

The Paradoxes of Zeno of Elea

Does an arrow really fly?

Zeno of Elea (490-430 BC) is famous for his paradoxes that seem to prove, among other points, that no movement is possible. If an arrow in flight is standing still whenever we take a photograph of it, when is it actually moving? (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

December 3, 2020

What Is Deontological Ethics?

Immanuel Kant and not looking at outcomes

Deontological ethics is about actions that must be performed (or must not be performed) because the actions themselves are intrinsically good or bad. (more...)

November 30, 2020

Aristotle's Highest Good

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we can recognise the highest good because we do everything else for its sake, while we never say that we pursue the highest good for any other thing’s sake. For Aristotle, the highest good is the happy life. (more...)

November 28, 2020

Hannah Arendt on work and being human

Labour, work and action

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) distinguishes three types of work; Labor, work, and action. (more...)

November 24, 2020

Peter Singer's Drowning Child

Are we required to save lives if we can?

Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...)

November 24, 2020

What Is a Stoic Person?

Learning to control one’s mind

A Stoic is an adherent of Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of life. Stoics thought that, in order to be happy, we must learn to distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot. (more...)

November 14, 2020

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

What is love made of?

Robert Sternberg thinks that we can best describe love as composed of three “primary” components that combine to produce all the kinds of love that we observe around us: intimacy, passion and decision or commitment. (more...)

November 10, 2020

St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex

The real cost of pure pleasure

For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)

November 3, 2020

Confucius on Loyalty and Betrayal

Would you send your father to prison?

For Confucius, one’s personal loyalties to family, friends, co-workers and superiors are more important than the rules of some abstract ethical theory. (more...)

October 29, 2020

Kant on Autonomy and Human Rights

Are humans meant to be free?

The theory of evolution changed our understanding of our own humanity, but overlooks that we are able to act against our instincts and to be truly free. (more...)

October 23, 2020

Thales of Miletus

A stroll through the history of philosophy

Thales of Miletus is generally cited as one of the first philosophers, although his contributions extended to many sciences and even to business endeavors. (more...)

October 22, 2020

Aristotle and the Roots of Deep Ecology

Modern ecological ethics reaches back to Aristotle and his idea that the flourishing of any one thing is dependent on the flourishing of everything else. (more...)

October 19, 2020

Life Is a Skill

Aristotle's Eudaimonia

Aristotle on living a life well through exercising one’s virtues. (more...)

October 6, 2020

Aristotle on moral development

The three types of human beings

For Aristotle, the moral development of a person progresses in three stages: from akrates, to enkrates, to sophron or wise person. (more...)

September 28, 2020

Love is All Around

Eryximachos’ views in Plato’s Symposion

In Plato’s Symposion, the doctor Eryximachos says that love is the harmony of opposites. This resonates with beliefs in the traditional medicine of many cultures, as well as with our concept of a “balanced” person. (more...)

September 26, 2020

September 26: Happy Birthday, Martin Heidegger!

September 26: Martin Heidegger’s Birthday (1889-1976) (more...)

September 25, 2020

Can love be forever?

In Plato’s Symposium, Plato defines love as the desire for the eternal possession of the good. (more...)

September 19, 2020

Freedom is always the freedom to think otherwise

Rosa Luxemburg today

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919), socialist revolutionary, once said: “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” (more...)

March 28: Thales Predicts a Solar Eclipse

March 28, 585 BC - Really?

On March 28, 585 BC, Thales of Miletus was supposed to have observed an eclipse of the Sun. A short history of the difficulty of knowing the date. (more...)

August 19, 2018

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

Are philosophers like map-makers?

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976) was a British philosopher, primarily concerned with the nature of the mind and the role of philosophy in the world. (more...)

October 11, 2016

Aristotle’s Four Causes

Aristotle on knowledge and purpose

Aristotle distinguishes four causes which determine the nature and purpose of every thing: the “material”, the “formal”, the “efficient” and the “final” or “teleological” causes. (more...)

Category: Continental philosophy

To Exist Is to Play

Albert Camus’ love for football

The writer and philosopher Albert Camus was known for his existentialist essays, novels, and love of football. (more...)

Freeing Yourself from Self-Consciousness

Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre on Being Authentic

We can change the way we perceive ourselves by a simple switch in our first-person perspective, argues author Brentyn J. Ramm, following Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre. (more...)

Sartre’s Existentialism

Sartre’s discourse “Existentialism is a Humanism” can be broken down into five concepts: Existence precedes essence, Freedom, Responsibility, Anguish and Bad Faith. (more...)

A Brief History of Hermeneutics

What is Hermeneutics? ‘Hermeneutics’ is an ancient topic whose philosophical outlines have evolved through time. In a broad sense, hermeneutics can be defined simply as ‘interpretation,’ ‘the art of interpreting,’ or ‘the study of interpretation. (more...)

February 24, 2023

A Case for Postmodernism

What is postmodernism? A physiotherapy professor explains how postmodernism changed his views on medicine and health. (more...)

January 24, 2022

The Dialectic of Enlightenment

Horkheimer, Adorno and the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School is generally taken to mean a lose collection of thinkers who first congregated around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (more...)

September 20, 2021

Andrei Simionescu-Panait on Elegance

Philosopher interviews

Dr Simionescu-Panait talks about his research on the phenomenology of elegance, about ‘Socratic’ approaches to philosophical counseling and about his new book on elegance: “The Reconciled Body.” (more...)

Category: Critical thinking

What does Philosophy do?

What could have led to the fact that the study of philosophy does not encourage independent thinking? (more...)

Reasons and Causes

We are not as rational as we think we are

We think our beliefs and attitudes, and even our feelings and moods, are more determined by a reasoning process that brings us to them than they are. (more...)

December 15, 2023

Studying Philosophy at a Time of Automated Thinking

Notes to the philosophy student

Philosophy starts by questioning what the other sciences presuppose, the assumptions of all activity, cognition, and knowledge as a whole. (more...)

December 13, 2023

What is a Fallacy?

How to Spot and Avoid Logical Pitfalls

A fallacy in Critical Thinking is an error in argumentation that makes an argument invalid. (more...)

Ineffable Understanding

Seemingly intractable paradoxes involved in speaking of the ineffable are based on a mistake. (more...)

November 29, 2021

What Is a Valid Argument?

Critical Thinking basics

In a valid argument, it is not possible that the conclusion is false when the premises are true. Or, in other words: In a valid argument, whenever the premises are true, the conclusion also has to be true. (more...)

November 1, 2021

If only I hadn’t done that...

Why counterfactuals are misleading

What if the Second World War had turned out differently? This article explains why counterfactuals and alternative histories can be misleading. (more...)

What to Do When People Talk #$!!~#

The importance of meaningful disagreement

Can two people’s experiences and outlooks on life be so different that meaningful communication between them is impossible? Recent events suggest so. (more...)

Category: Current affairs

December 7, 2024

Human Extinction

An Even More Modest Proposal

Would it matter if the entire human race became extinct?1 I ask this question not because of any hostility towards human beings – as is fashionable in some circles, humans being seen as the poisonous curse of the Earth it would be better without, nor any generalized misanthropy – rather the opposite. (more...)

November 23, 2024

Ensuring Humanity’s Future

Lessons from Play, Sport, and Game

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 18, 2024

Can Philosophy Save Us?

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 9, 2024

We and They

Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

November 3, 2024

A “Philos” of We

. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 25, 2024

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis

Thinking Clearly to Help Ensure the Future of Humanity

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 18, 2024

The Surprising Threat to Human Society

How can philosophy help ensure the future of humanity? Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 12, 2024

In Praise of Misinformation

There have been increasingly clamorous calls for the banning, removal, or controlling, or censoring of ‘misinformation’ as an enforced general policy. (more...)

Liberty, Democracy, Justice

Can the Center Hold?

In the Republic, Plato speaks of society in metaphorical terms as “our city of words.” The dialogue is essentially about justice as a human virtue. (more...)

Abortion: The Unconscious Violinist Argument

Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Is abortion ethical? Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson created one of the most well-known thought experiments in modern ethics. In her 1971 paper “A Defense of Abortion,” she presents the thought experiment of the unconscious violinist. (more...)

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

January 19, 2024

The Case for Feeding the Surfers

Philippe Van Parijs’s Argument for Universal Basic Income

Universal Basic Income, or UBI, implies the regular, universal, unconditional transfer of an equal sum of money to all eligible citizens. (more...)

January 5, 2024

Israel’s Attack on Gaza

Some philosophical reflections

Philosophical reflections about Israel’s response to the 7th October 2023 attack by Hamas, exposing inconsistencies, poor reasoning and immoralities, with a final touch of Kant and Nietzsche. (more...)

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

Coronation: The Captivating Story of Monarchies

Moore and Gillette on what makes a king

In this article, which accompanies the third in our series of philosophy videos, we look at the spiritual side of royalty. (more...)

February 5, 2023

Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?

Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa? by Brandon Robshaw, is a very clear, instructive and carefully argued book that shows off philosophy at its best. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

October 19, 2022

Are We Allowed to Destroy Art?

Jimmy Carr is taking a hammer to Hitler

A new TV show fronted by Jimmy Carr will destroy artworks from artists ranging from Picasso to Hitler. Is this a bad thing? We look at the arguments for and against destroying art for entertainment. (more...)

October 2, 2022

Stunning AI-Generated Art

How it works and what it means

A sample of AI art generated by Stable Diffusion. Is AI generated art different from human art, and is it art at all? (more...)

August 22, 2022

How Free is Free Enough?

Ronald Dworkin on free speech and censorship

Today, we are confronted with the need to weigh free speech against other values like inclusivity, respect and tolerance. We look at the arguments of philosopher Ronald Dworkin in defence of free speech. (more...)

Is Abortion Ethical?

The main arguments

Is abortion morally right? We look at the main arguments for and against abortion. (more...)

When Is an AI System Sentient?

Blake Lemoine and LaMDA AI

How can we tell whether an AI program “thinks” or “feels”? In the recent debate of Blake Lemoine’s claims about LaMDA, a functionalist approach can help us understand machine consciousness and feelings. (more...)

Can We Define Mental Health?

Can we draw a line between people with psychiatric disorders and those without? (more...)

The Principle of Double Effect

Philosophy and current affairs

Should we teach philosophy to young people when accounting would be better for them? Is driving a car morally bad? Meet the doctrine of Double Effect. (more...)

Deepfakes, deception, and distrust

Epistemic and social concerns

The main epistemic concern in the light of the potential ubiquity of deepfakes is not that we are going to be massively deceived. Global distrust and not global deception could be the ultimate consequence of deepfakes. (more...)

Confucianism and Just War

Since governments are charged with pursuing the popular well-being and not state power or prosperity, wars of aggression are illegitimate. - David Cockayne on how classic Confucianism would see wars. (more...)

The Ukraine Conflict: Conduct in War

Philosophy and current affairs

What are the laws that apply during a war? We discuss the jus in bello and the requirements of discrimination, proportionality and necessity. Just War Theory applied to the current conflict in the Ukraine. (more...)

February 26, 2022

The Ukraine Conflict and the Ethics of War

Philosophy and current affairs

What are the moral rules for war, how can wars be justified and are we obliged to help a country that has been attacked? Just War Theory applied to the current conflict in the Ukraine. (more...)

October 22, 2021

Roman Yampolskiy on the dangers of AI

Philosopher interviews

Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville, speaks about the future of AI. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

August 16, 2021

Inventing the New World

Can AIs have intellectual property?

For the first time in history, an AI called DABUS has been granted a patent in South Africa. This article analyses the metaphysics of attributing inventions to non-human agents. (more...)

The Uncontrollability of AI

The creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise, but with it also comes existential risk. (more...)

Seven Reasons to Outlaw Recreational Drugs

The main arguments

Should we legalise recreational drug use? This article explains seven arguments against legalising recreational drugs. (more...)

Six Reasons to Legalise Recreational Drugs

The main arguments

Should we legalise recreational drug use or not? This article explains the most important six arguments in favour of the legalisation of recreational drugs. (more...)

Vaccination Ethics

Can the state force us to get vaccinated?

Vaccination ethics is a surprisingly rich field of philosophical inquiry, and it covers issues from all major moral theories, reaching into world politics, poverty, the role of the state and the morality of taxation and car seat belts. (more...)

December 1, 2020

What Is a Fair Share of Life?

The Fair Innings Argument in bioethics

The “Fair Innings Argument” assumes that there is such a thing as a fair share of life. But can we compare different lives in this way? (more...)

November 24, 2020

The Ethics of Organ Transplants

Can you kill one to save many?

Are we ever allowed to kill one in order to save many lives? Utilitarianism would look at the overall benefit and conclude that this might be permissible. (more...)

November 24, 2020

Peter Singer's Drowning Child

Are we required to save lives if we can?

Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...)

November 14, 2020

The Ethics of Eating Meat

Four moral theories and their views

Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...)

Is it stupid to hoard toilet paper?

Sometimes, weird behaviours can be rational

It is too often assumed that hoarding commodities in a crisis is irrational and that everyone would be better off if nobody was hoarding things. But there are arguments to the contrary. (more...)

Category: Daily issues

November 30, 2023

When Is It Right to Break the Law?

Ethics and law are not the same

Ethics and the law are not the same and it can indeed be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations. (more...)

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

December 29, 2020

One Year, Six Ways: A Philosophical Experiment

Daily Philosophy has an idea for this year’s resolution: live your life like a philosopher. Come along to the One Year, Six Ways project! (more...)

December 7, 2020

Is Stealing Always Immoral?

Utilitarianism, Kant and Aristotle

In utilitarianism, stealing would only be immoral if it leads to bad consequences for the stakeholders. For Kant, it would always be immoral. (more...)

November 15, 2020

Is Whistleblowing Ethical?

...and why Confucius might disagree

Whistleblowing might be wrong because it violates one’s obligations to one’s friends, relatives, co-workers or superiors. (more...)

November 14, 2020

The Ethics of Eating Meat

Four moral theories and their views

Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...)

September 19, 2020

Freedom is always the freedom to think otherwise

Rosa Luxemburg today

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919), socialist revolutionary, once said: “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” (more...)

Is it stupid to hoard toilet paper?

Sometimes, weird behaviours can be rational

It is too often assumed that hoarding commodities in a crisis is irrational and that everyone would be better off if nobody was hoarding things. But there are arguments to the contrary. (more...)

Category: Daily seeds

The Most Hated Philosopher: Spinoza on God

Philosophy in Quotes

“The eternal and infinite being we call ‘God’ or ‘Nature’ necessarily acts as it does,” writes Spinoza. But what does this mean? (more...)

December 10, 2022

The Ballad of Marie and Elsie

A poem by Professor Michael Hauskeller. (more...)

Reading Epicurus: Pleasure and pain

Is happiness only the absence of pain?

For Epicurus, pleasure is nothing but the absence of pain. Pain can further be subdivided into pain of the body and trouble in the soul. (more...)

February 20, 2021

Richard Taylor on the Creative Life

Real creativity is not only in art

Richard Taylor (1919–2003) thought that it’s creativity that makes us feel happy and fulfilled. According to Taylor, a life lived without exercising one’s creativity is a wasted life. (more...)

February 15, 2021

Erich Fromm on the Psychology of Capitalism

Our world is turning us into mass products. We should resist

Erich Fromm points out that capitalism, in order to work, requires a large population of identical consumers with identical taste. (more...)

December 27, 2020

Aristotle on being human

What is the function of human beings?

For Aristotle, happiness is connected to function. Everything in the universe has a function, and a happy human life is one in which we fulfil that function. (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

December 11, 2020

Human Dignity and Freedom

Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity

Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...)

December 10, 2020

Can Machines Think?

Why it’s so hard to tell

The Turing Test wanted to provide a way to judge whether computers are intelligent, but pretending to be human in a chat is not the same as being intelligent. (more...)

December 8, 2020

Epicurus and Luddism

Would we be happier without technology?

Technology, at least in the way that it is deployed in capitalism contradicts the essential simplicity of the ideal Epicurean life. (more...)

December 7, 2020

Is Stealing Always Immoral?

Utilitarianism, Kant and Aristotle

In utilitarianism, stealing would only be immoral if it leads to bad consequences for the stakeholders. For Kant, it would always be immoral. (more...)

December 3, 2020

What Is Deontological Ethics?

Immanuel Kant and not looking at outcomes

Deontological ethics is about actions that must be performed (or must not be performed) because the actions themselves are intrinsically good or bad. (more...)

December 3, 2020

How Can We Define Love?

How is love different from liking or friendship?

Love is characterised by: 1. Exclusivity; 2. Constancy; 3. Reciprocity; 4. Uniqueness; and 5. Irrepleaceability of the beloved. (more...)

November 30, 2020

Aristotle's Highest Good

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we can recognise the highest good because we do everything else for its sake, while we never say that we pursue the highest good for any other thing’s sake. For Aristotle, the highest good is the happy life. (more...)

November 24, 2020

Peter Singer's Drowning Child

Are we required to save lives if we can?

Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...)

November 15, 2020

Is Whistleblowing Ethical?

...and why Confucius might disagree

Whistleblowing might be wrong because it violates one’s obligations to one’s friends, relatives, co-workers or superiors. (more...)

November 10, 2020

St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex

The real cost of pure pleasure

For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)

November 3, 2020

Confucius on Loyalty and Betrayal

Would you send your father to prison?

For Confucius, one’s personal loyalties to family, friends, co-workers and superiors are more important than the rules of some abstract ethical theory. (more...)

October 29, 2020

Kant on Autonomy and Human Rights

Are humans meant to be free?

The theory of evolution changed our understanding of our own humanity, but overlooks that we are able to act against our instincts and to be truly free. (more...)

October 22, 2020

Aristotle and the Roots of Deep Ecology

Modern ecological ethics reaches back to Aristotle and his idea that the flourishing of any one thing is dependent on the flourishing of everything else. (more...)

October 19, 2020

Life Is a Skill

Aristotle's Eudaimonia

Aristotle on living a life well through exercising one’s virtues. (more...)

October 6, 2020

Aristotle on moral development

The three types of human beings

For Aristotle, the moral development of a person progresses in three stages: from akrates, to enkrates, to sophron or wise person. (more...)

September 30, 2020

Do Unicorns Exist?

And what, please, is an ontological commitment?

A rant about the ontological commitment of the existential quantifier. (more...)

September 28, 2020

Love is All Around

Eryximachos’ views in Plato’s Symposion

In Plato’s Symposion, the doctor Eryximachos says that love is the harmony of opposites. This resonates with beliefs in the traditional medicine of many cultures, as well as with our concept of a “balanced” person. (more...)

September 26, 2020

September 26: Happy Birthday, Martin Heidegger!

September 26: Martin Heidegger’s Birthday (1889-1976) (more...)

September 25, 2020

Can love be forever?

In Plato’s Symposium, Plato defines love as the desire for the eternal possession of the good. (more...)

September 23, 2020

September 23: Happy Birthday, Kublai Khan!

Xanadu, poets, pop singers, and a day devoid of significance

Did you know that singer Olivia Newton-John is the granddaughter of the famous physicist Max Born, one of the two people who claimed to have discovered the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics? (more...)

September 22, 2020

September 22: John Conway (1937-2020)

The inventor of the Game of Life

John Horton Conway (1937-2020), mathematician, inventor of the “Game of Life” simulation of cellular automata. (more...)

September 19, 2020

Freedom is always the freedom to think otherwise

Rosa Luxemburg today

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919), socialist revolutionary, once said: “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” (more...)

The Gift of Sinning. Autonomy, Surveillance and Freedom.

How surveillance undermines morality

Surveillance, instead of forcing citizens to behave more ethically, in reality undermines the essence of morality. According to Immanuel Kant as well as the Bible, the free human choice is the basis for all moral behaviour. (more...)

October 11, 2016

Aristotle’s Four Causes

Aristotle on knowledge and purpose

Aristotle distinguishes four causes which determine the nature and purpose of every thing: the “material”, the “formal”, the “efficient” and the “final” or “teleological” causes. (more...)

Category: Debates

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

August 22, 2022

How Free is Free Enough?

Ronald Dworkin on free speech and censorship

Today, we are confronted with the need to weigh free speech against other values like inclusivity, respect and tolerance. We look at the arguments of philosopher Ronald Dworkin in defence of free speech. (more...)

Is Abortion Ethical?

The main arguments

Is abortion morally right? We look at the main arguments for and against abortion. (more...)

When Is an AI System Sentient?

Blake Lemoine and LaMDA AI

How can we tell whether an AI program “thinks” or “feels”? In the recent debate of Blake Lemoine’s claims about LaMDA, a functionalist approach can help us understand machine consciousness and feelings. (more...)

The Principle of Double Effect

Philosophy and current affairs

Should we teach philosophy to young people when accounting would be better for them? Is driving a car morally bad? Meet the doctrine of Double Effect. (more...)

The Ukraine Conflict: Conduct in War

Philosophy and current affairs

What are the laws that apply during a war? We discuss the jus in bello and the requirements of discrimination, proportionality and necessity. Just War Theory applied to the current conflict in the Ukraine. (more...)

February 26, 2022

The Ukraine Conflict and the Ethics of War

Philosophy and current affairs

What are the moral rules for war, how can wars be justified and are we obliged to help a country that has been attacked? Just War Theory applied to the current conflict in the Ukraine. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

What Are We Responsible For?

Intentions, consequences and character

How far does our responsibility extend? What can we rightly be regarded as responsible for? (more...)

Seven Reasons to Outlaw Recreational Drugs

The main arguments

Should we legalise recreational drug use? This article explains seven arguments against legalising recreational drugs. (more...)

Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia

The main arguments

This a systematic survey of the arguments and counterarguments that are most commonly in play when considering the ethical rights and wrong of euthanasia and whether it should be legally permitted. (more...)

Six Reasons to Legalise Recreational Drugs

The main arguments

Should we legalise recreational drug use or not? This article explains the most important six arguments in favour of the legalisation of recreational drugs. (more...)

Category: Dp

Global Essay Contest 2024

Take part in our global essay contest! Prizes include cash, publication and an interview with Daily Philosophy. (more...)

January 12, 2023

Welcome to the German site!

Daily Philosophy goes multilingual

Daily Philosophy is now also available in German under daily-philosophy.de (more...)

The New Daily Philosophy Magazine

Now on your Kindle!

Daily Philosophy has launched a new format: the Daily Philosophy printable magazine. Download it now and get all free and premium articles, plus all perks of the premium membership. (more...)

Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy

A new Daily Philosophy book

Daily Philosophy has launched a new book, “Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy,” which takes us on a journey to the world of the Frankfurt School and Social Psychology. (more...)

December 30, 2021

Highlights of 2021

In the past year, we went together on a journey to explore five different philosophies of happiness and to try to apply them to our own time and our own lives. (more...)

December 30, 2020

Best of Daily Philosophy 2020

Here they are, in case you missed them

In 2020, we published a number of articles that have become reader favourites. Among others, we discussed Aristotle on how to live a meaningful life, Erich Fromm on productivity, and Richard Taylor on being creative. (more...)

Category: Esoteric

How to Recognise Pure Awareness

Douglas Harding and the Headless Way

What is pure awareness? Douglas Harding (1909-2007) proposed a series of simple but surprising experiments that one can perform to learn more about oneself as the subject of one’s own first person view. (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

December 22, 2020

Plato and Christianity

Perfection, theosophy and organic hand-creams

Plato’s ideas about the eternal world of perfect Forms provided a template upon which Christian philosophers could build their vision of the eternal, transcendent realm of God. (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

Category: Ethics

November 23, 2024

Ensuring Humanity’s Future

Lessons from Play, Sport, and Game

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 18, 2024

Can Philosophy Save Us?

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 9, 2024

We and They

Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

November 3, 2024

A “Philos” of We

. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 25, 2024

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis

Thinking Clearly to Help Ensure the Future of Humanity

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 18, 2024

The Surprising Threat to Human Society

How can philosophy help ensure the future of humanity? Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

September 15, 2024

How Many Cows Does It Take?

Navigating the Trolley Problem's Moral Dilemma

Here, instead of five people versus one person, the trolley is heading toward N cows and diverting it will kill one person. (more...)

August 30, 2024

Still Against Veganism

A reply to Petrică Nițoaia

My question was – and still is – a short good life with a pain free death, or no life at all, which would you prefer? A reply to Petrică Nițoaia. (more...)

Embracing Kindness

The Moral Argument for Veganism

Ethical arguments against veganism are examined and refuted. (more...)

Evil: Ordinary or Extraordinary?

Are the people who perform evil acts ordinary or extraordinary? Just like other people or exceptional people? (more...)

Can You Steal a Culture?

Making sense of cultural appropriation

For a long time, we have been watching the public discussion on cultural appropriation. Many writers and philosophers, even guests we have interviewed here on Daily Philosophy, have been reluctant to discuss the topic in public. (more...)

Abortion: The Unconscious Violinist Argument

Judith Jarvis Thomson: A Defense of Abortion

Is abortion ethical? Philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson created one of the most well-known thought experiments in modern ethics. In her 1971 paper “A Defense of Abortion,” she presents the thought experiment of the unconscious violinist. (more...)

Kant’s Ethics: What is a Categorical Imperative?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Kant’s ethics is based on the value of one’s motivation and two so-called Categorical Imperatives, or general rules that must apply to every action. (more...)

New Video Series: Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

A new series of Daily Philosophy whiteboard explainer videos has just been published on YouTube. It gives a very short, and hopefully amusing, introduction to the main theories of Western ethics. (more...)

What is ethics?

Of means and ends

Ethics is the study of how we ought to behave, and why. There are many different theories of ethics, which we briefly discuss in this article. (more...)

Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

We examine the basic ideas behind the four main Western ethics theories: utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, social contract ethics and virtue ethics. (more...)

December 10, 2023

Dan Demetriou on the Ethics of Colonial Monuments

Philosopher interviews

When is it right to remove colonial statues? When should we rewrite old books that are not politically correct any more? (more...)

November 30, 2023

When Is It Right to Break the Law?

Ethics and law are not the same

Ethics and the law are not the same and it can indeed be morally right, and even indicated, to break the law in certain situations. (more...)

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

Just Fodder Book Review

A reply to Andreas Matthias

Author’s reply to a review in Daily Philosophy of: Josh Milburn, “Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals.” (more...)

Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals

Josh Milburn’s “Just Fodder” is a very thoughtful and rigorous analysis of the ethical issues related to feeding animals. (more...)

What is Utilitarianism?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that states that the morally right action maximizes happiness or benefit and minimizes pain or harm for all stakeholders. Proponents of classic utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). (more...)

February 5, 2023

Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa?

Should a Liberal State Ban the Burqa? by Brandon Robshaw, is a very clear, instructive and carefully argued book that shows off philosophy at its best. (more...)

February 1, 2023

What is Ethical Investing?

We all want our money to serve the right cause – but how can we make sure that it will? Catherine Greene on what is involved in ethical investing and ESG considerations. (more...)

January 27, 2023

Necessary Vices

In our societies, an impressive array of vices is on display. Hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, prejudice… But what if many of these vices were necessary for human life? (more...)

January 22, 2023

Albert Schweitzer on the Reverence for Life

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Philosopher and Theologian Albert Schweitzer on the Reverence for Life. (more...)

January 13, 2023

Kant’s Joke: Are Practical Jokes Wrong?

According to Immanuel Kant, practical jokes would be considered immoral because they treat the subject as mere means to others’ enjoyment. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

January 6, 2023

What does “March of the Penguins” have to do with Kant?

According to Kant, we wouldn’t be able to talk about ethics at all if we couldn’t see us as free beings who are capable of deciding. (more...)

October 19, 2022

Are We Allowed to Destroy Art?

Jimmy Carr is taking a hammer to Hitler

A new TV show fronted by Jimmy Carr will destroy artworks from artists ranging from Picasso to Hitler. Is this a bad thing? We look at the arguments for and against destroying art for entertainment. (more...)

August 22, 2022

How Free is Free Enough?

Ronald Dworkin on free speech and censorship

Today, we are confronted with the need to weigh free speech against other values like inclusivity, respect and tolerance. We look at the arguments of philosopher Ronald Dworkin in defence of free speech. (more...)

Is Abortion Ethical?

The main arguments

Is abortion morally right? We look at the main arguments for and against abortion. (more...)

What’s Wrong with The Passion Economy?

Adam Davidson’s “The Passion Economy”

Adam Davidson describes the “Passion Economy” in a book released in 2020. This article shows why Davidson’s proposal is not a sustainable solution to fix our current relationship with work. (more...)

The Principle of Double Effect

Philosophy and current affairs

Should we teach philosophy to young people when accounting would be better for them? Is driving a car morally bad? Meet the doctrine of Double Effect. (more...)

Jeremy Bentham on Animal Ethics

Philosophy in Quotes

A history of philosophy in its most famous quotes. Today: Jeremy Bentham on the suffering of animals: “The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” (more...)

The Ukraine Conflict: Conduct in War

Philosophy and current affairs

What are the laws that apply during a war? We discuss the jus in bello and the requirements of discrimination, proportionality and necessity. Just War Theory applied to the current conflict in the Ukraine. (more...)

February 26, 2022

The Ukraine Conflict and the Ethics of War

Philosophy and current affairs

What are the moral rules for war, how can wars be justified and are we obliged to help a country that has been attacked? Just War Theory applied to the current conflict in the Ukraine. (more...)

February 12, 2022

Immanuel Kant on Means and Ends

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Immanuel Kant on how to treat human beings. (more...)

February 7, 2022

The Empathy Paradox

It is often supposed that greater empathy is a good thing. But this is a mistake, unless one assumes that being empathetic will inevitably bring it about that one treats others better. (more...)

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

October 10, 2021

Beauty discrimination

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

Are we doing something morally bad when we watch Youtubers we find attractive? Should attractiveness have no influence on our viewing habits? Or are we free to watch whom we like? Listen to find out! (more...)

October 5, 2021

Is Prostitution Morally Right?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of prostitution, from issues of public health to exploitation and jobs that take over our bodies. (more...)

September 29, 2021

Are Some Countries Objectively Better?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy finish their discussion of moral relativism. If we don’t want to be relativists, what ways are there to know whether one country or system is better than another? (more...)

September 19, 2021

Moral Relativism: What is a good country?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss moral relativism and whether we can say that one society is “better” than another. Is the US better than North Korea? In what way? Is there an objective way to judge the “goodness” of a society? (more...)

September 15, 2021

Moral Relativism

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss moral relativism: the idea that other cultures may have their own values and moral rules that are different from ours. Do we have to respect them even if we disagree with them, or can we demand that all humans share some basic, common values? (more...)

August 11, 2021

Nudges

The hidden influencers

In a book published in 2008, R. H. Thaler and C. R. Sunstein define nudges as “any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way.” (more...)

Agency in the Anthropocene

How much choice do you actually have?

If we are natural beings who evolved with everything else, why have we had such a hugely detrimental impact on that biosphere, which also happens to be our home? (more...)

What Are We Responsible For?

Intentions, consequences and character

How far does our responsibility extend? What can we rightly be regarded as responsible for? (more...)

Is Data Science Evil?

What does “Don’t Be Evil” really mean?

Computers have a long history of being associated with evilness. Machine minds without emotions suggest cruelty, unflinching execution of inhuman orders. (more...)

Seven Reasons to Outlaw Recreational Drugs

The main arguments

Should we legalise recreational drug use? This article explains seven arguments against legalising recreational drugs. (more...)

Happy Endings

Does size or shape matter most?

We’ve heard it all our lives — size matters and bigger is better. But David Velleman wants you to believe that shape can matter more! (more...)

Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia

The main arguments

This a systematic survey of the arguments and counterarguments that are most commonly in play when considering the ethical rights and wrong of euthanasia and whether it should be legally permitted. (more...)

Political violence

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of employing violence as a means of politics. Are we ever justified to use violent means in pursuit of political goals? (more...)

Selling Happiness, One Chump at a Time

We are not water pills. We are highly scientific magic pills based on an ancient organic recipe. (more...)

The Utility Monster is... other people!

Imagine waking up every evening, putting on your happy face, walking over to your immaculately laid out recording studio and… Enthusiastically unwrapping that mysterious package someone just sent you… You have no idea what it is, no really! (more...)

Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of the death penalty, and particularly the question whether other countries have the right to withhold the drugs used in US executions. (more...)

Six Reasons to Legalise Recreational Drugs

The main arguments

Should we legalise recreational drug use or not? This article explains the most important six arguments in favour of the legalisation of recreational drugs. (more...)

Enlightened Self-Interest

Friends with benefits

If you explain to a friend that Hedonistic Egoism advocates the pursuit of one’s own pleasure, the first reaction you may get is: “so why not kill a person, steal his money and buy a new phone?” If you do get this reaction, it may be time to get a new friend. (more...)

Chimeras: Animals as hosts for human organs?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the complex ethics of growing human organs in animal hosts. Are we in danger of creating human-like animals? Could such animals claim human rights? And are we sufficiently respecting the dignity of such animal hosts? (more...)

Kant’s Praiseworthy Motivation

Ethical behaviour can be demanding

A core feature of Kant’s ethics is his insistence on the value of one’s motivation for the morality of an action. As opposed to utilitarianism, Kant does not look at the consequences when judging actions, but only at what he calls the “good will.” (more...)

Psychological Hedonism

You Know You Want It

According to Psychological Hedonism, we are all just looking for fun. Psychological Hedonism is a theory about motivation. (more...)

Who Owns Space?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. Today: Who owns space? (more...)

Simulating Pleasure

If it feels good, does it matter whether it’s real?

Nozick asked readers to imagine a machine produced by “super-duper neuropsychologists” that could give you any experience you could think of without you realising it was all a computer simulation. He called it the Experience Machine. (more...)

Legalising drugs

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. Today: Should we legalise drugs? (more...)

Is Pleasure Good?

Don’t forget your safe word

Hedonists believe that pleasure is the only thing that ultimately makes our lives go well for us and that pain is the only thing that ultimately makes our lives go badly for us. If that’s true, why are so many hedonists into BDSM? (more...)

New: The Accented Philosophy Podcast

First episode: Ethics of vaccination passports

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. (more...)

Who Gets the Vaccine First?

Philosopher John Rawls on justice and privilege

How should we go about distributing a scarce vaccine? Philosopher John Rawls formulated two principles of justice that we can use to guide our decisions. (more...)

Vaccination Ethics

Can the state force us to get vaccinated?

Vaccination ethics is a surprisingly rich field of philosophical inquiry, and it covers issues from all major moral theories, reaching into world politics, poverty, the role of the state and the morality of taxation and car seat belts. (more...)

February 22, 2021

Hedonism, Pleasure and Happiness

Is pleasure the same as happiness?

Hedonism is the thesis that happiness and pleasure are the same. But is that true? Does the enjoyment of pleasures like good food, chocolate, sex and a myriad other things that we consume everyday — do these things really make us happier? (more...)

January 25, 2021

Martha Nussbaum and the Capabilities Approach

What makes a human life worth living?

In the capabilities approach, philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that a human life, in order to reach its highest potential, must include a number of “capabilities” – that is, of actual possibilities that one can realise in one’s life. (more...)

January 9, 2021

How to Live an Aristotelian Life

Become happy through being good

Aristotle’s theory of happiness rests on three concepts: (1) the virtues; (2) phronesis or practical wisdom; and (3) eudaimonia or flourishing. (more...)

December 11, 2020

Human Dignity and Freedom

Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity

Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...)

December 7, 2020

Is Stealing Always Immoral?

Utilitarianism, Kant and Aristotle

In utilitarianism, stealing would only be immoral if it leads to bad consequences for the stakeholders. For Kant, it would always be immoral. (more...)

December 3, 2020

What Is Deontological Ethics?

Immanuel Kant and not looking at outcomes

Deontological ethics is about actions that must be performed (or must not be performed) because the actions themselves are intrinsically good or bad. (more...)

December 1, 2020

What Is a Fair Share of Life?

The Fair Innings Argument in bioethics

The “Fair Innings Argument” assumes that there is such a thing as a fair share of life. But can we compare different lives in this way? (more...)

November 30, 2020

Aristotle's Highest Good

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we can recognise the highest good because we do everything else for its sake, while we never say that we pursue the highest good for any other thing’s sake. For Aristotle, the highest good is the happy life. (more...)

November 24, 2020

The Ethics of Organ Transplants

Can you kill one to save many?

Are we ever allowed to kill one in order to save many lives? Utilitarianism would look at the overall benefit and conclude that this might be permissible. (more...)

November 24, 2020

Peter Singer's Drowning Child

Are we required to save lives if we can?

Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...)

November 19, 2020

Which Social Media Site Is the Most Ethical?

A case for applied utilitarianism

Social media affect our society in many ways: addiction, democracy, the decline of journalism, privacy, surveillance, and effects on friendships. (more...)

November 15, 2020

Is Whistleblowing Ethical?

...and why Confucius might disagree

Whistleblowing might be wrong because it violates one’s obligations to one’s friends, relatives, co-workers or superiors. (more...)

November 14, 2020

The Ethics of Eating Meat

Four moral theories and their views

Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...)

November 3, 2020

Confucius on Loyalty and Betrayal

Would you send your father to prison?

For Confucius, one’s personal loyalties to family, friends, co-workers and superiors are more important than the rules of some abstract ethical theory. (more...)

October 29, 2020

Kant on Autonomy and Human Rights

Are humans meant to be free?

The theory of evolution changed our understanding of our own humanity, but overlooks that we are able to act against our instincts and to be truly free. (more...)

October 19, 2020

Life Is a Skill

Aristotle's Eudaimonia

Aristotle on living a life well through exercising one’s virtues. (more...)

October 6, 2020

Aristotle on moral development

The three types of human beings

For Aristotle, the moral development of a person progresses in three stages: from akrates, to enkrates, to sophron or wise person. (more...)

September 19, 2020

Freedom is always the freedom to think otherwise

Rosa Luxemburg today

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919), socialist revolutionary, once said: “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” (more...)

Is it stupid to hoard toilet paper?

Sometimes, weird behaviours can be rational

It is too often assumed that hoarding commodities in a crisis is irrational and that everyone would be better off if nobody was hoarding things. But there are arguments to the contrary. (more...)

The Gift of Sinning. Autonomy, Surveillance and Freedom.

How surveillance undermines morality

Surveillance, instead of forcing citizens to behave more ethically, in reality undermines the essence of morality. According to Immanuel Kant as well as the Bible, the free human choice is the basis for all moral behaviour. (more...)

Category: Future

November 23, 2024

Ensuring Humanity’s Future

Lessons from Play, Sport, and Game

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 18, 2024

Can Philosophy Save Us?

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 9, 2024

We and They

Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

November 3, 2024

A “Philos” of We

. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 25, 2024

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis

Thinking Clearly to Help Ensure the Future of Humanity

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 18, 2024

The Surprising Threat to Human Society

How can philosophy help ensure the future of humanity? Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

February 19, 2023

Should We Fear Technological Unemployment?

Technology might lead to widespread unemployment. But will this necessarily be a bad thing? Professor Michael Hauskeller on the future of work. (more...)

Can AI write philosophy?

How Jasper AI will shake up education

I tried out Jasper AI, a computer program that generates natural language text. It turns out that it can create near-perfect output that would easily pass for a human-written undergraduate philosophy paper. (more...)

Deepfakes, deception, and distrust

Epistemic and social concerns

The main epistemic concern in the light of the potential ubiquity of deepfakes is not that we are going to be massively deceived. Global distrust and not global deception could be the ultimate consequence of deepfakes. (more...)

October 22, 2021

Roman Yampolskiy on the dangers of AI

Philosopher interviews

Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville, speaks about the future of AI. (more...)

August 18, 2021

Luca Possati on Transhumanism

Philosopher interviews

Luca M. Possati is researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Educated as philosopher, he has been lecturer at the Institut Catholique de Paris and associate researcher of the Fonds Ricoeur and EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales). (more...)

The Uncontrollability of AI

The creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise, but with it also comes existential risk. (more...)

What is Luddism?

The challenges of modern technology

Luddism is the thesis that technology must serve human life and that often the use of technologies does not make for better or happier societies. (more...)

Erich Fromm on Our Relation to Technology

Rediscovering ancient skills in everyday life

According to Erich Fromm, modern technology is to be blamed for constant surveillance, destruction of the planet, and widespread AI-caused unemployment. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Society, Technology and Progress

The false promise of unlimited progress

According to philosopher Erich Fromm, the dream of endless technological development has led to a depletion of natural resources and the destruction of nature. (more...)

Category: Games

Philosophy Crossword #006

Fun with philosophy!

Test your philosophy knowledge and spend a few enjoyable minutes with the weekly Daily Philosophy crossword puzzle! (more...)

Philosophy Crossword #005

Fun with philosophy!

Test your philosophy knowledge and spend a few enjoyable minutes with the weekly Daily Philosophy crossword puzzle! (more...)

Philosophy Crossword #004

Fun with philosophy!

Test your philosophy knowledge and spend a few enjoyable minutes with the weekly Daily Philosophy crossword puzzle! (more...)

Philosophy Crossword #003

Fun with philosophy!

Do you know who founded the Cyrenaic school of philosophy? Or what the world is made up from, according to Epicurus? Test your philosophy knowledge and spend a few enjoyable minutes with the weekly Daily Philosophy crossword puzzle! (more...)

Philosophy Crossword #002

Fun with philosophy!

Do you know where Alexander the Great came from? Or whose atomic theory influenced Epicurus? Test you philosophy knowledge and spend a few enjoyable minutes with the weekly Daily Philosophy crossword puzzle! (more...)

Philosophy Crossword #001

Fun with philosophy!

Do you know Kant’s first name? Or a philosopher who was also a lens-grinder? Test you philosophy knowledge and spend a few enjoyable minutes with the weekly Daily Philosophy crossword puzzle! (more...)

Category: Glück

January 28, 2021

Touching Fish

Is laziness a human right?

Being lazy, far from being something good, would be, for Aristotle, a total failure of a human being and the best way for someone to make sure that they will never reach true happiness. (more...)

Category: Guest post

December 7, 2024

Human Extinction

An Even More Modest Proposal

Would it matter if the entire human race became extinct?1 I ask this question not because of any hostility towards human beings – as is fashionable in some circles, humans being seen as the poisonous curse of the Earth it would be better without, nor any generalized misanthropy – rather the opposite. (more...)

November 23, 2024

Ensuring Humanity’s Future

Lessons from Play, Sport, and Game

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 18, 2024

Can Philosophy Save Us?

This is a shortlisted entry from the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024.If you like reading about philosophy, here's a free, weekly newsletter with articles just like this one: Send it to me! (more...)

November 9, 2024

We and They

Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

November 3, 2024

A “Philos” of We

. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 25, 2024

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis

Thinking Clearly to Help Ensure the Future of Humanity

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis. Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 18, 2024

The Surprising Threat to Human Society

How can philosophy help ensure the future of humanity? Shortlisted entry for the Daily Philosophy Global Essay Contest 2024. (more...)

October 12, 2024

In Praise of Misinformation

There have been increasingly clamorous calls for the banning, removal, or controlling, or censoring of ‘misinformation’ as an enforced general policy. (more...)

October 4, 2024

Verdict

We, the Jury, duly impaneled and sworn, upon our oaths, do find the defendant, of her own free will, as to Count One, guilty of First-degree Murder. (more...)

September 20, 2024

Irvin Yalom: The Spinoza Problem

Irvin Yalom’s (b. 1931) The Spinoza Problem: A Novel (Basic Books 2013) intertwines history and philosophy, offering a fresh perspective on two distinct but connected lives. (more...)

September 15, 2024

How Many Cows Does It Take?

Navigating the Trolley Problem's Moral Dilemma

Here, instead of five people versus one person, the trolley is heading toward N cows and diverting it will kill one person. (more...)

August 30, 2024

Still Against Veganism

A reply to Petrică Nițoaia

My question was – and still is – a short good life with a pain free death, or no life at all, which would you prefer? A reply to Petrică Nițoaia. (more...)

August 16, 2024

The Hermit of the Lonely Loch

Aspiring hermits have many motivations. Smith eloquently testifies to his reasons, some of them deeply personal. (more...)

Boltzmann Brains and Epistemology

Entropy can be calculated with a concept called multiplicity. The multiplicity is the number of indistinguishable possibilities that could cause the results we observe. (more...)

Embracing Kindness

The Moral Argument for Veganism

Ethical arguments against veganism are examined and refuted. (more...)

Liberty, Democracy, Justice

Can the Center Hold?

In the Republic, Plato speaks of society in metaphorical terms as “our city of words.” The dialogue is essentially about justice as a human virtue. (more...)

It's OK to Major in English or History

...and you might even save the world

Just because we can automate something doesn’t mean that we won’t pay over the odds for an analogue version. (more...)

Evil: Ordinary or Extraordinary?

Are the people who perform evil acts ordinary or extraordinary? Just like other people or exceptional people? (more...)

To Exist Is to Play

Albert Camus’ love for football

The writer and philosopher Albert Camus was known for his existentialist essays, novels, and love of football. (more...)

Hánfēizǐ

A Chinese philosophical pessimist

Hánfēizǐ advocated a realist political philosophy and its aim was the establishment of order. The function of the state is to survive – to suppress internal strife and resist external aggression. (more...)

Taking Pessimism Seriously

Pessimism today has an ambivalent status. On the one hand, even a cursory glance at the world reveals a depressing abundance of dreadful events, tendencies, and phenomena. (more...)

Transfer of Matter

My eyes widen as I stare at the board, the possibilities beginning to fill my mind. (more...)

Live Like a Corpse

How acceptance of death set the samurai free

Japanese martial philosophy has been mythologized to nefarious ends, but that does not mean it has nothing to teach well-adjusted individuals. (more...)

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

Reasons and Causes

We are not as rational as we think we are

We think our beliefs and attitudes, and even our feelings and moods, are more determined by a reasoning process that brings us to them than they are. (more...)

February 23, 2024

Kant's conception of freedom

Using reason to resist manipulation

Kant on using reason to critically examine our inclinations and uncover the forces that manipulate and misinform us. (more...)

February 17, 2024

A Better Society?

Bonanno's utopian anarchism

Bonanno stands apart with his radical, borderline utopian critique of modern society. (more...)

February 3, 2024

Nothing

Nothing is ever nothing. What a paradox! Everything is something, in a way. (more...)

January 19, 2024

The Case for Feeding the Surfers

Philippe Van Parijs’s Argument for Universal Basic Income

Universal Basic Income, or UBI, implies the regular, universal, unconditional transfer of an equal sum of money to all eligible citizens. (more...)

January 12, 2024

Meaning

Call me Gottlob. And just to make sure we don’t get off on the wrong foot, my name is indeed Gottlob. But what is the actual meaning of names? (more...)

January 5, 2024

Israel’s Attack on Gaza

Some philosophical reflections

Philosophical reflections about Israel’s response to the 7th October 2023 attack by Hamas, exposing inconsistencies, poor reasoning and immoralities, with a final touch of Kant and Nietzsche. (more...)

December 22, 2023

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Guest article by John Shand

1. What I wish to do is to look at the value of art in the wide human cultural context, most fundamentally indeed as part of the human condition. (more...)

December 15, 2023

Studying Philosophy at a Time of Automated Thinking

Notes to the philosophy student

Philosophy starts by questioning what the other sciences presuppose, the assumptions of all activity, cognition, and knowledge as a whole. (more...)

December 10, 2023

Dan Demetriou on the Ethics of Colonial Monuments

Philosopher interviews

When is it right to remove colonial statues? When should we rewrite old books that are not politically correct any more? (more...)

December 2, 2023

Transhumanism and Misanthropy

Humans are constitutively incapable of virtuous forms of life. Posthumans, of course, can aspire to much more. (more...)

November 17, 2023

Sartre and the Lobsters

On Fear, Longing, and Love

In 1935, a bad trip triggered Jean-Paul Sartre’s deep-rooted fear of sea creatures. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by crabs and lobsters. (more...)

November 4, 2023

Monism and Dualism in the Mind-Body Problem

The mind-body problem concerns the relationship between the mind and the body (or the brain). Two major philosophical views on this problem are monism and dualism. (more...)

October 27, 2023

Involuntary Heroes, Accidental Saints. Catherine Greene on Her Book “The Red Hairband”

Philosopher interviews

Catherine Greene is a philosopher and writer. In this interview, we discuss her new book “The Red Hairband” (more...)

October 13, 2023

Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was ambivalent towards philosophy. In just the same way that philosophy purports to explain the world, so too does psychoanalysis. (more...)

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

August 11, 2023

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (2)

Part 2: The Confucian Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This second part focuses on Confucianism. (more...)

Misanthropes – Literary and Philosophical

Book review: Misanthropy in the Age of Reason

Joseph Harris (2022). Misanthropy in the Age of Reason: Hating Humanity from Shakespeare to Schiller. Oxford University Press. 304 pages. Hardcover: 73. (more...)

How Humour Works

This is about humour. I shall not make any clear distinction between humour in general and jokes, only to say that jokes are archly and tightly structured set pieces and a subgroup within humour. (more...)

The Chatbot

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence. (more...)

Ineffable Understanding

Seemingly intractable paradoxes involved in speaking of the ineffable are based on a mistake. (more...)

Just Fodder Book Review

A reply to Andreas Matthias

Author’s reply to a review in Daily Philosophy of: Josh Milburn, “Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals.” (more...)

Plato’s Apology

Plato’s Apology of Socrates is one of the greatest speeches in the history of mankind. It shows Socrates’ personality and humour, as well as being a meditation on justice and honesty. (more...)

Miguel Angel on Running a Philosophy Site

Philosopher interviews

Miguel Angel is the founder and editor of Filosofia En La Red, a Spanish-language philosophy magazine and website. (more...)

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (1)

Part 1: The Buddhist Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This first part focuses on Japanese Buddhism. (more...)

Freeing Yourself from Self-Consciousness

Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre on Being Authentic

We can change the way we perceive ourselves by a simple switch in our first-person perspective, argues author Brentyn J. Ramm, following Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre. (more...)

Sartre’s Existentialism

Sartre’s discourse “Existentialism is a Humanism” can be broken down into five concepts: Existence precedes essence, Freedom, Responsibility, Anguish and Bad Faith. (more...)

A Not Very Philosophical Zombie

They’re saying Brian was never alive! They’re treating him like he wasn’t real, like he never existed! (more...)

Hobbes Reconsidered

Hobbes’s conception of humankind in a state of nature begins with the idea that everyone is more or less equal and free. (more...)

A Very Short Philosophical Dictionary

A dictionary of philosophy with one exatly entry for each letter. (more...)

February 24, 2023

A Case for Postmodernism

What is postmodernism? A physiotherapy professor explains how postmodernism changed his views on medicine and health. (more...)

February 19, 2023

Should We Fear Technological Unemployment?

Technology might lead to widespread unemployment. But will this necessarily be a bad thing? Professor Michael Hauskeller on the future of work. (more...)

February 1, 2023

What is Ethical Investing?

We all want our money to serve the right cause – but how can we make sure that it will? Catherine Greene on what is involved in ethical investing and ESG considerations. (more...)

January 27, 2023

Necessary Vices

In our societies, an impressive array of vices is on display. Hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, prejudice… But what if many of these vices were necessary for human life? (more...)

January 13, 2023

Kant’s Joke: Are Practical Jokes Wrong?

According to Immanuel Kant, practical jokes would be considered immoral because they treat the subject as mere means to others’ enjoyment. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

January 6, 2023

What does “March of the Penguins” have to do with Kant?

According to Kant, we wouldn’t be able to talk about ethics at all if we couldn’t see us as free beings who are capable of deciding. (more...)

December 21, 2022

Shane Epting on the Philosophy of Cities

Philosopher interviews

Shane Epting is an assistant professor of philosophy. In this interview, we discuss the philosophy and future of cities. (more...)

December 19, 2022

What's So Wrong With Engaged Buddhism?

A reply to Ian Kidd

Does an ‘engaged’ Buddhist really have to draw on this picture of the Buddha as a ‘social activist’ to find support for their own activism? (more...)

December 12, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 3)

I focus in this final piece on a neglected aspect of Buddha’s teachings: the condemnation of social activism and political engagement. (more...)

December 10, 2022

The Ballad of Marie and Elsie

A poem by Professor Michael Hauskeller. (more...)

December 5, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 2)

Changing the world, challenging patriarchy, revolution, and the whole ethos of radical reformism is nothing like what the Buddha taught. (more...)

November 28, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists?

Buddhism is widely admired in the West for its commitments to progressive social activism. But is this really in the spirit of true Buddhism? (more...)

November 12, 2022

Books that Lead You to Philosophy

Karl Popper: The Open Society and Its Enemies

What are the books that brought us to philosophy? For John Shand, philosophy professor at the Open University, it was Karl Popper’s “The Open Society and Its Enemies” (more...)

November 5, 2022

Andreas Matthias on Writing About Philosophy

Philosopher interviews

Miguel Angel, editor and owner of Filosofia En La Red, interviews Andreas Matthias, editor of Daily Philosophy, about being a publisher of a philosophy site today. (more...)

November 3, 2022

The Problem with Scientism

In these days of crisis in the humanities, as well as in the social sciences, it is crucial to distinguish valid from ill-founded criticism of any academic effort. (more...)

October 7, 2022

A Short History of Happiness

From Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness

The pursuit of happiness has always been one of the main driving forces of human lives. This article recounts the amazing history of the concept of happiness, from ancient times to today, from Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness. (more...)

September 23, 2022

Paul Lodge on Philosophy and Music

Philosopher interviews

Paul Lodge, Professor of Philosophy and songwriter, sets philosophical poems to music. In this interview, we discuss his background and whether philosophy makes for good songs. (more...)

September 19, 2022

The Homeric Poems First of All

The poems of Homer, the Ilias and the Odyssey, mark the proper start of Greek civilization and can be seen as what shaped Greek identity, argues ancient philosophy Professsor Livio Rossetti. (more...)

September 16, 2022

50 Answers

What do religions say about fate?

An insightful new book sheds light on how a rich tapestry of religions answer life’s biggest questions. (more...)

September 2, 2022

Nigerian Scammers and Philosophical Muggers

A Short Story on Epistemic Humility and The Best Possible Life, All Things Considered (more...)

August 26, 2022

Kant’s Categories and the Stevenson Screen

One way of thinking about and getting an understanding of Kant’s Categories is to draw an analogy with the Stevenson Screen. This article sheds light on what Kant’s Categories are and how they function in our understanding of the world. (more...)

Am I irrational?

And how would I know?

People as well as large-scale events, for example, the Durch Tulip Mania or the technology crash in the early 2000s, are sometimes said to be irrational. But what exactly do we mean by that? (more...)

Steven Cassedy: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Meaning

Altogether this is the most comprehensive account of how the phrase ‘the meaning of life’ came to attain its current ubiquity that has yet been written. (more...)

The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness

Review of Uriah Kriegel (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2020, by Prof. Robert Zaborowski. (more...)

What’s Wrong with The Passion Economy?

Adam Davidson’s “The Passion Economy”

Adam Davidson describes the “Passion Economy” in a book released in 2020. This article shows why Davidson’s proposal is not a sustainable solution to fix our current relationship with work. (more...)

The Knowledge-Effect

Is more knowledge always better?

Awareness of the knowledge-effect is important because it is something we need strongly to guard against if we are to make good normative judgements. (more...)

Can We Define Mental Health?

Can we draw a line between people with psychiatric disorders and those without? (more...)

Pyrrhonism: Some Clarifications

A reply to Stephen Leach

Compared to other Hellenistic schools of thought, like Stoicism and Epicureanism, Pyrrhonism was systematically neglected throughout the history of Western philosophy… (more...)

Deepfakes, deception, and distrust

Epistemic and social concerns

The main epistemic concern in the light of the potential ubiquity of deepfakes is not that we are going to be massively deceived. Global distrust and not global deception could be the ultimate consequence of deepfakes. (more...)

The Wind on Your Face

The limits of language are all there before us in the everyday. For there is no description or account of the wind on your face (nor of the experience of seeing a red rose) that could give you any idea at all what the wind on your face was like to have. (more...)

Shénnóng and the Agriculturalist School

According to Shénnóng, rulers had a limited number of very simple functions, mainly concerning agriculture. A ruler should teach people agricultural arts, inspect their fields, and keep a grain store. (more...)

How to Recognise Pure Awareness

Douglas Harding and the Headless Way

What is pure awareness? Douglas Harding (1909-2007) proposed a series of simple but surprising experiments that one can perform to learn more about oneself as the subject of one’s own first person view. (more...)

Confucianism and Just War

Since governments are charged with pursuing the popular well-being and not state power or prosperity, wars of aggression are illegitimate. - David Cockayne on how classic Confucianism would see wars. (more...)

Philosophy and Nuclear Weapons

In 1964, Bertrand Russell wrote that the philosopher’s duty was now to forget philosophy and to study “the probable effects of a nuclear war.” (more...)

Jeremy Bentham on Animal Ethics

Philosophy in Quotes

A history of philosophy in its most famous quotes. Today: Jeremy Bentham on the suffering of animals: “The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” (more...)

February 21, 2022

I’m depressed and it’s all your fault!

Separating depression from sadness

Are we driving ourselves insane? And have we been doing so for over a hundred years? To understand this, we need to understand how we came to think of ourselves as depressed. (more...)

February 7, 2022

The Empathy Paradox

It is often supposed that greater empathy is a good thing. But this is a mistake, unless one assumes that being empathetic will inevitably bring it about that one treats others better. (more...)

January 27, 2022

In Praise of Pyrrhonian Scepticism

Radical scepticism has a good claim to be both the longest lasting tradition in philosophy and the consistently least popular. There’s a lot to be said for it. (more...)

January 12, 2022

Nothing Matters. Or Does It?

What exactly do we mean when we say that “nothing matters”? More than sixty years ago, the British philosopher Richard Mervyn Hare attempted to answer this question in an early essay. (more...)

January 5, 2022

Meaning, Value, Death, and God

What makes our death bearable? How do we create meaning from the certainty of our own deaths? Prof. John Shand analyses the question. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

November 27, 2021

Luis de Miranda on Esprit de Corps

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda is the founder of the Philosophical Health movement, author of Being & Neonness (MIT Press) and Ensemblance (Edinburgh University Press). (more...)

November 22, 2021

Mother Knows Best

I know it’s got to be done. Even so, I still feel bad about it. If it were up to me, we would cancel the whole thing. Fortunately, it’s not. It’s up to Mother, and Mother knows best. (more...)

November 16, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine (2)

Part B. The Test of the Wine

Plato’s use of drunkenness, mainly in the Symposium but also in the Phaedrus, is a metaphor designed to defend Socrates’ philosophical inspiration. (more...)

November 8, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine

Part A. The Philosopher’s Drunken Vision

We discuss Plato’s description of Socrates’ philosophical inspiration as “drunkenness” and/or Dionysian mania; Plato’s metaphor draws on earlier Greek poetry. (more...)

November 1, 2021

If only I hadn’t done that...

Why counterfactuals are misleading

What if the Second World War had turned out differently? This article explains why counterfactuals and alternative histories can be misleading. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

September 20, 2021

Andrei Simionescu-Panait on Elegance

Philosopher interviews

Dr Simionescu-Panait talks about his research on the phenomenology of elegance, about ‘Socratic’ approaches to philosophical counseling and about his new book on elegance: “The Reconciled Body.” (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

September 2, 2021

Wael B. Hallaq on Islamic Law and Human Rights

Philosopher interviews

Wael B. Hallaq (وائل حلاق‎) is a leading scholar of Islamic law and Islamic intellectual history at Columbia University. In this interview, we ask his opinion on the tension between Western and Islamic conceptions of governance and human rights. (more...)

August 23, 2021

Why We Should Read Descartes

The overall aim of Descartes’ philosophy is to found science on a secure and absolutely certain footing. Without that anything built by science would be open to doubt following from the weakness of its foundation. (more...)

August 18, 2021

Luca Possati on Transhumanism

Philosopher interviews

Luca M. Possati is researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Educated as philosopher, he has been lecturer at the Institut Catholique de Paris and associate researcher of the Fonds Ricoeur and EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales). (more...)

August 16, 2021

Inventing the New World

Can AIs have intellectual property?

For the first time in history, an AI called DABUS has been granted a patent in South Africa. This article analyses the metaphysics of attributing inventions to non-human agents. (more...)

August 11, 2021

Nudges

The hidden influencers

In a book published in 2008, R. H. Thaler and C. R. Sunstein define nudges as “any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way.” (more...)

Agency in the Anthropocene

How much choice do you actually have?

If we are natural beings who evolved with everything else, why have we had such a hugely detrimental impact on that biosphere, which also happens to be our home? (more...)

What Are We Responsible For?

Intentions, consequences and character

How far does our responsibility extend? What can we rightly be regarded as responsible for? (more...)

Luis de Miranda on Philosophical Health

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda lives in Sweden and is a philosophical practitioner, founder of the Philosophical Health movement. (more...)

The Uncontrollability of AI

The creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise, but with it also comes existential risk. (more...)

The New Companion

I’m not gonna lie to you: when I finally received the cybermail notification that my purchase was approved and I could pick it up from the Companions ‘R’ Us warehouse in Manchester, I was literally electrified. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Happy in a Concentration Camp?

It's possible, says Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who, because of his Jewish descent, spent the last six months of World War II in a German concentration camp, which he barely survived. (more...)

More Aristotle than Galileo?

Artificial Intelligence and scientific discovery

Can artificial intelligence discover new laws of physics? Possibly. An article in Technology Review suggests that data from a swinging pendulum experiment allowed a neural network to discover some of the laws of motion. (more...)

Happy Endings

Does size or shape matter most?

We’ve heard it all our lives — size matters and bigger is better. But David Velleman wants you to believe that shape can matter more! (more...)

Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia

The main arguments

This a systematic survey of the arguments and counterarguments that are most commonly in play when considering the ethical rights and wrong of euthanasia and whether it should be legally permitted. (more...)

Selling Happiness, One Chump at a Time

We are not water pills. We are highly scientific magic pills based on an ancient organic recipe. (more...)

Asimov’s Psychohistory

The illusive quest to predict the future

Why is it so difficult to make predictions about society? The problem is not the complexity of the task, but the concepts we use to think about the world. (more...)

The Utility Monster is... other people!

Imagine waking up every evening, putting on your happy face, walking over to your immaculately laid out recording studio and… Enthusiastically unwrapping that mysterious package someone just sent you… You have no idea what it is, no really! (more...)

Enlightened Self-Interest

Friends with benefits

If you explain to a friend that Hedonistic Egoism advocates the pursuit of one’s own pleasure, the first reaction you may get is: “so why not kill a person, steal his money and buy a new phone?” If you do get this reaction, it may be time to get a new friend. (more...)

Are You A Nihilist?

A Defence of Nihilism

The terminology of ‘nihilism’ and ‘the meaning of life’ emerged among a small group of German philosophers at the end of the 18th century who were worried about the French Enlightenment. (more...)

Psychological Hedonism

You Know You Want It

According to Psychological Hedonism, we are all just looking for fun. Psychological Hedonism is a theory about motivation. (more...)

What to Do When People Talk #$!!~#

The importance of meaningful disagreement

Can two people’s experiences and outlooks on life be so different that meaningful communication between them is impossible? Recent events suggest so. (more...)

Simulating Pleasure

If it feels good, does it matter whether it’s real?

Nozick asked readers to imagine a machine produced by “super-duper neuropsychologists” that could give you any experience you could think of without you realising it was all a computer simulation. He called it the Experience Machine. (more...)

Is Pleasure Good?

Don’t forget your safe word

Hedonists believe that pleasure is the only thing that ultimately makes our lives go well for us and that pain is the only thing that ultimately makes our lives go badly for us. If that’s true, why are so many hedonists into BDSM? (more...)

The Real Happiness Machine

Ray Bradbury on living and dying well

In many of Bradbury’s stories we can find an entire philosophy of life that is well worth discovering and adopting. (more...)

Category: Guides

New Video Series: Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

A new series of Daily Philosophy whiteboard explainer videos has just been published on YouTube. It gives a very short, and hopefully amusing, introduction to the main theories of Western ethics. (more...)

Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

We examine the basic ideas behind the four main Western ethics theories: utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, social contract ethics and virtue ethics. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to the Philosophy of Erich Fromm

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Erich Fromm’s philosophy of happiness. We discuss his life, his ideas and his main works, both in their historical context and how they are still relevant for us today. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to Epicurus

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Epicurus’ philosophy of happiness. Epicurus is one of the few ancient philosophers who are more relevant today than they were in their own times. Learn all about him right here. (more...)

Epicurus: A Guide to the Principal Doctrines

Text, commentary and study guide

The Principal Doctrines is the main work of Epicurus on happiness. This article presents the original text with explanations and discussion questions. It also includes tips for organising an Epicurus reading group or book club. (more...)

Category: Happiness

The Ultimate Guide to the Philosophy of Erich Fromm

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Erich Fromm’s philosophy of happiness. We discuss his life, his ideas and his main works, both in their historical context and how they are still relevant for us today. (more...)

December 27, 2023

The Power of Love

Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

In his book “The Art of Loving,” psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm discusses how love is misunderstood in modern societies. (more...)

What is Utilitarianism?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that states that the morally right action maximizes happiness or benefit and minimizes pain or harm for all stakeholders. Proponents of classic utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). (more...)

October 7, 2022

A Short History of Happiness

From Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness

The pursuit of happiness has always been one of the main driving forces of human lives. This article recounts the amazing history of the concept of happiness, from ancient times to today, from Eudaimonia to Gross National Happiness. (more...)

Religion and Happiness

Are religious people happier?

Religion has a profound effect on happiness. Multiple studies have shown that religious believers are generally happier people, an effect that is more pronounced in poorer countries. (more...)

Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy

A new Daily Philosophy book

Daily Philosophy has launched a new book, “Erich Fromm on How to Be Happy,” which takes us on a journey to the world of the Frankfurt School and Social Psychology. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to Epicurus

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Epicurus’ philosophy of happiness. Epicurus is one of the few ancient philosophers who are more relevant today than they were in their own times. Learn all about him right here. (more...)

Epicurus: A Guide to the Principal Doctrines

Text, commentary and study guide

The Principal Doctrines is the main work of Epicurus on happiness. This article presents the original text with explanations and discussion questions. It also includes tips for organising an Epicurus reading group or book club. (more...)

February 21, 2022

I’m depressed and it’s all your fault!

Separating depression from sadness

Are we driving ourselves insane? And have we been doing so for over a hundred years? To understand this, we need to understand how we came to think of ourselves as depressed. (more...)

February 5, 2022

Marcus Aurelius on Opinions

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes. Today: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul…” (more...)

January 24, 2022

The Dialectic of Enlightenment

Horkheimer, Adorno and the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School is generally taken to mean a lose collection of thinkers who first congregated around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (more...)

January 17, 2022

Taking the Crowded Bus of Life

Epictetus on the Stoic attitude

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus (50-135 AD), one of the most important Stoic philosophers in history, recommends seeing obstacles in our lives as opportunities to improve. (more...)

December 13, 2021

The Stoic View of the Self

Being in someone else’s shoes

For the Stoics, everything that happens to us seems to have a special significance that the same event wouldn’t have if it happened to someone else. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

November 12, 2021

Stoic Control

How to stay calm in everyday life

At the core of the Stoic theory of happiness is our ability to control our thoughts. The wise man should try to exercise control over what they can control and not try to control what they cannot. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

October 30, 2021

Solitude and Contentment

Lessons from hermit lives

Hermits have always lived apart from the societies of their times. But do they have the secret key to happiness? (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

August 28, 2021

The Hermit of Suwarrow

The adventures of Tom Neale (1902-1977)

Tom Neale spent a total of fourteen years alone on a little island in the Suwarrow Atoll in the South Pacific, where he found peace and happiness in solitude. We have a look at this extraordinary life. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Work?

The science behind gratitude diaries

Gratefulness has been proposed as a way to increase one’s happiness in life. But does it work? We look at the science of gratitude diaries to find out whether gratefulness has a positive effect on happiness. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Make Happy?

Brother David-Steindl-Rast on gratefulness

Brother David-Steindl-Rast is one of the most prominent advocates of gratefulness as a way of life. In his famous TED talk, he explains how gratefulness and attention lead to a happier life. (more...)

Grateful to No One

How does gratefulness work?

It seems that we should only be grateful for something good done to us. But already the Stoics had seen that sometimes benefits come disguised as burdens. (more...)

What is Gratefulness?

Gratitude, gratefulness and our view of ourselves

One could also say that gratitude is always gratitude to someone, while gratefulness emphasises what we are grateful for, even if there is nobody to be grateful to for that thing. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Living Epicurus Today

What is a 21st century Epicurean?

So has Epicurean living become so expensive today as to exclude most of us from practising it? Does one need to be rich in order to be able to afford the simple life? (more...)

Happy in a Concentration Camp?

It's possible, says Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who, because of his Jewish descent, spent the last six months of World War II in a German concentration camp, which he barely survived. (more...)

What Are Friends For?

Epicurus on Friendship

Epicurus’ view on the value of friends has often been romanticised and equally often misunderstood. Here, we discuss Epicurus’ philosophy of friendship. (more...)

What is Luddism?

The challenges of modern technology

Luddism is the thesis that technology must serve human life and that often the use of technologies does not make for better or happier societies. (more...)

Stephanie Mills: Epicurean Simplicity

Is a simple life the key to happiness?

In her book “Epicurean Simplicity,” author and activist Stephanie Mills analyses what is wrong with our modern way of life. (more...)

Epicurus: The Wise Man and the Fool

What’s wrong about being a happy fool?

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus once wrote that “the misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.” But why would that be so? It becomes clearer when we look at Epicurus’ theory of desires. (more...)

It’s A New Sun Every Day

Heraclitus and Epicurus on accepting change

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said that one cannot step into the same river twice. But what does this really mean? And what can we learn from this for our own lives? (more...)

Old Age and Death

Epicurus on trouble in the soul

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus emphasises that, in a world that works according to physical laws, nobody ought to be afraid of either the gods or one’s own death. (more...)

Reading Epicurus: Pleasure and pain

Is happiness only the absence of pain?

For Epicurus, pleasure is nothing but the absence of pain. Pain can further be subdivided into pain of the body and trouble in the soul. (more...)

Are some desires better than others?

Epicurus on what is natural and what is vain

Epicurus believed that the most reliable way to be happy is to reduce one’s desires until it’s easy to satisfy them. (more...)

Epicureanism: The Basic Idea

Is it so hard to satisfy our senses?

Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC) believes that the way to ensure happiness throughout life is to reduce one’s desires so that they can be easily fulfilled. (more...)

The Real Happiness Machine

Ray Bradbury on living and dying well

In many of Bradbury’s stories we can find an entire philosophy of life that is well worth discovering and adopting. (more...)

Epicurus (341-270 BC)

The misunderstood ascetic

Epicurus (341-270 BC) is often seen as an advocate of a luxurious life, rich in good food and other pleasures. This is incorrect. (more...)

Aldous Huxley’s “Island”

An even braver new world?

The last book of visionary writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Island, is a bold attempt to envision a utopian society that provides its members with everything they need to achieve happiness in life. (more...)

Erich Fromm’s New Society

Can we build a better world?

Philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm analysed the problems of Western, capitalist societies. We look at his ideas for the perfect society. (more...)

What is Alienation?

Karl Marx on how society fails us

One of his best known concepts of Marxism is the idea of “alienation” that describes how human beings get estranged from their work. (more...)

Erich Fromm: How to Become a Loving Person

What keeps us from finding happiness in love?

Philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm believes that the main source of pain and anxiety for human beings comes from the feeling of separateness from others. (more...)

What is “Eastern” Happiness?

Erich Fromm and Lin Yutang on cultural differences

Is there a difference between the way we perceive happiness and life in the West in comparison with “Eastern” cultures? We compare Erich Fromm and Lin Yutang. (more...)

How Much Money Do We Need?

The long tradition of finding joy outside of consumerism

From Diogenes and Epicurus to Erich Fromm there is a long tradition suggesting that we might be happier with fewer material goods. (more...)

Decluttering the Mind

Erich Fromm on material possessions

If we want to declutter, we must, according to Erich Fromm, first change our relationship to the world. (more...)

To Have Or to Be

Erich Fromm on two different ways of living one’s life

Erich Fromm distinguishes between two modes of existence. One can live one’s life in the “mode of having” or in the “mode of being”. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Society, Technology and Progress

The false promise of unlimited progress

According to philosopher Erich Fromm, the dream of endless technological development has led to a depletion of natural resources and the destruction of nature. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Escaping from Freedom

The attractiveness of being unfree

Erich Fromm claims that freedom itself can sometimes be the cause of fear and anxiety, forcing us to find ways to “escape from freedom.” Authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton conformity are three ways how we try to cope with the freedom we fear. (more...)

February 22, 2021

Hedonism, Pleasure and Happiness

Is pleasure the same as happiness?

Hedonism is the thesis that happiness and pleasure are the same. But is that true? Does the enjoyment of pleasures like good food, chocolate, sex and a myriad other things that we consume everyday — do these things really make us happier? (more...)

February 20, 2021

Richard Taylor on the Creative Life

Real creativity is not only in art

Richard Taylor (1919–2003) thought that it’s creativity that makes us feel happy and fulfilled. According to Taylor, a life lived without exercising one’s creativity is a wasted life. (more...)

February 14, 2021

Bertrand Russell on How to Find Happiness

The Conquest of Happiness

In “The Conquest of Happiness”, Russell argues that what makes us happy is an active life, directed by a deep and sustained interest in the world. (more...)

February 9, 2021

The Conquest of Unhappiness

Bertrand Russell proposes happiness as an antidote to envy. Someone who is happy will be content with what they have and will not be looking to compare themselves with others. (more...)

February 8, 2021

The Conquest of Happiness and Why It Matters Today

Bertrand Russell on how to be happy

Bertrand Russell’s book ‘The Conquest of Happiness’ (1930) attempts to analyse the conditions for happiness in our modern world, focusing on the different mindsets of the unhappy and the happy person. (more...)

February 1, 2021

Bertrand Russell (1892-1970)

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher and writer, one of the most important analytic philosophers of the 20th century. (more...)

January 25, 2021

Martha Nussbaum and the Capabilities Approach

What makes a human life worth living?

In the capabilities approach, philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that a human life, in order to reach its highest potential, must include a number of “capabilities” – that is, of actual possibilities that one can realise in one’s life. (more...)

December 29, 2020

One Year, Six Ways: A Philosophical Experiment

Daily Philosophy has an idea for this year’s resolution: live your life like a philosopher. Come along to the One Year, Six Ways project! (more...)

December 27, 2020

Aristotle on being human

What is the function of human beings?

For Aristotle, happiness is connected to function. Everything in the universe has a function, and a happy human life is one in which we fulfil that function. (more...)

December 8, 2020

Epicurus and Luddism

Would we be happier without technology?

Technology, at least in the way that it is deployed in capitalism contradicts the essential simplicity of the ideal Epicurean life. (more...)

November 30, 2020

Aristotle's Highest Good

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we can recognise the highest good because we do everything else for its sake, while we never say that we pursue the highest good for any other thing’s sake. For Aristotle, the highest good is the happy life. (more...)

November 24, 2020

What Is a Stoic Person?

Learning to control one’s mind

A Stoic is an adherent of Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of life. Stoics thought that, in order to be happy, we must learn to distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot. (more...)

November 14, 2020

The Memories of Our Experiences

Daniel Kahneman on the Happiness of Memories

Economist Daniel Kahneman studied the effects of memory on our perception of past experiences. He distinguishes experienced from remembered happiness. (more...)

November 13, 2020

Erich Fromm on Being Productive

Are we active, or just busy?

For Erich Fromm, true activity means to fully use one’s talents in order to grow as a person. The mere display of business is not a sign of productive work. (more...)

October 19, 2020

Life Is a Skill

Aristotle's Eudaimonia

Aristotle on living a life well through exercising one’s virtues. (more...)

The Four Qualities of Life

Veenhoven on the different meanings of happiness

Ruut Veenhoven, Dutch sociologist, distinguishes four different types of happiness: 1. objective vs subjective quality of life and 2. chances vs outcomes. (more...)

August 18, 2017

How Happy Does This Make You?

Daniel Kahneman on how to measure happiness

Happiness researchers are faced with the question how to reliably measure happiness in surveys. We present three approaches discussed by economist Daniel Kahneman. (more...)

Can we measure happiness in a survey?

The difficulties of measuring self-reported happiness

In this post, we discuss some points that one must keep in mind when designing a happiness survey. (more...)

Can We Be Wrong About Being Happy?

Kahneman’s objective happiness

Can we be mistaken about our own happiness? Proponents of subjective happiness measures would say no: one is as happy as one feels. (more...)

Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index

The Gross National Happiness Index of the Kingdom of Bhutan was the first large-scale attempt to measure the level of happiness of a whole country’s population. But does it work? (more...)

Category: Happy birthday

April 26, 121 AD: Marcus Aurelius is born

Reluctant emperor of Rome, fighter and Stoic philosopher

April 26, 121 AD marks the birthday of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who still inspires us today with his sense of humility and duty. (more...)

Category: Hermits

August 16, 2024

The Hermit of the Lonely Loch

Aspiring hermits have many motivations. Smith eloquently testifies to his reasons, some of them deeply personal. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

October 30, 2021

Solitude and Contentment

Lessons from hermit lives

Hermits have always lived apart from the societies of their times. But do they have the secret key to happiness? (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

August 28, 2021

The Hermit of Suwarrow

The adventures of Tom Neale (1902-1977)

Tom Neale spent a total of fourteen years alone on a little island in the Suwarrow Atoll in the South Pacific, where he found peace and happiness in solitude. We have a look at this extraordinary life. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Category: History

Women Philosophers Throughout History

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Women philosophers: Gargi Vachaknavi, Aspasia, Ban Zhao, Hypatia of Alexandria, Rabia al-Adawiyya, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Nana Asma’u. (more...)

The Princess and the Soul

Elisabeth of Bohemia and Rene Descartes

Descartes admired her intelligence and Leibniz stood at her deathbed, but during most of her life, she was a penniless refugee. Meet Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia. (more...)

February 16, 2024

Islam in 10 Minutes

Its history and main ideas

How did Islam begin and expand, what do Muslims believe, and what does the daily practice of a Muslim believer look like? (more...)

August 11, 2023

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (2)

Part 2: The Confucian Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This second part focuses on Confucianism. (more...)

Misanthropes – Literary and Philosophical

Book review: Misanthropy in the Age of Reason

Joseph Harris (2022). Misanthropy in the Age of Reason: Hating Humanity from Shakespeare to Schiller. Oxford University Press. 304 pages. Hardcover: 73. (more...)

Plato’s Apology

Plato’s Apology of Socrates is one of the greatest speeches in the history of mankind. It shows Socrates’ personality and humour, as well as being a meditation on justice and honesty. (more...)

The Shortest History of Japanese Philosophy (1)

Part 1: The Buddhist Phase

In this series of posts, BVE Hyde presents a short but complete history of Japanese thought. This first part focuses on Japanese Buddhism. (more...)

The 7 Most Fascinating Philosopher-Kings in History

Philosopher-kings from Marcus Aurelius to Frederick the Great: What makes a good philosopher-king? (more...)

Coronation: The Captivating Story of Monarchies

Moore and Gillette on what makes a king

In this article, which accompanies the third in our series of philosophy videos, we look at the spiritual side of royalty. (more...)

How to Think Like a Philosopher

Peter Cave’s “How to Think Like a Philosopher” is a very enjoyable introduction into Western philosophy. Light, conversational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating. (more...)

December 19, 2022

What's So Wrong With Engaged Buddhism?

A reply to Ian Kidd

Does an ‘engaged’ Buddhist really have to draw on this picture of the Buddha as a ‘social activist’ to find support for their own activism? (more...)

December 12, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 3)

I focus in this final piece on a neglected aspect of Buddha’s teachings: the condemnation of social activism and political engagement. (more...)

December 5, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 2)

Changing the world, challenging patriarchy, revolution, and the whole ethos of radical reformism is nothing like what the Buddha taught. (more...)

November 28, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists?

Buddhism is widely admired in the West for its commitments to progressive social activism. But is this really in the spirit of true Buddhism? (more...)

September 19, 2022

The Homeric Poems First of All

The poems of Homer, the Ilias and the Odyssey, mark the proper start of Greek civilization and can be seen as what shaped Greek identity, argues ancient philosophy Professsor Livio Rossetti. (more...)

Shénnóng and the Agriculturalist School

According to Shénnóng, rulers had a limited number of very simple functions, mainly concerning agriculture. A ruler should teach people agricultural arts, inspect their fields, and keep a grain store. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

November 16, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine (2)

Part B. The Test of the Wine

Plato’s use of drunkenness, mainly in the Symposium but also in the Phaedrus, is a metaphor designed to defend Socrates’ philosophical inspiration. (more...)

November 8, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine

Part A. The Philosopher’s Drunken Vision

We discuss Plato’s description of Socrates’ philosophical inspiration as “drunkenness” and/or Dionysian mania; Plato’s metaphor draws on earlier Greek poetry. (more...)

November 1, 2021

If only I hadn’t done that...

Why counterfactuals are misleading

What if the Second World War had turned out differently? This article explains why counterfactuals and alternative histories can be misleading. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

Grateful to No One

How does gratefulness work?

It seems that we should only be grateful for something good done to us. But already the Stoics had seen that sometimes benefits come disguised as burdens. (more...)

Infographic: Love - History of a Concept

A graphic timeline of love from ancient Greece to now

A timeline of the concept of love, from Plato and Aristotle, through early Christianity, courtly love and Christian mysticism, to romantic love and love towards robots. (more...)

A Short History of Love

The concept of love from ancient times to today

In this mini-series of posts, we trace the history of the concept of love from Plato and Aristotle through the Christian world to the Desert Fathers. (more...)

Timeline: The Life of Aristotle

An infographic of Aristotle’s life

A timeline of Aristotle’s life shown over a map of ancient Greece. (more...)

March 28: Thales Predicts a Solar Eclipse

March 28, 585 BC - Really?

On March 28, 585 BC, Thales of Miletus was supposed to have observed an eclipse of the Sun. A short history of the difficulty of knowing the date. (more...)

Category: Homepage

December 3, 2020

How Can We Define Love?

How is love different from liking or friendship?

Love is characterised by: 1. Exclusivity; 2. Constancy; 3. Reciprocity; 4. Uniqueness; and 5. Irrepleaceability of the beloved. (more...)

September 26, 2020

September 26: Happy Birthday, Martin Heidegger!

September 26: Martin Heidegger’s Birthday (1889-1976) (more...)

Category: Infographics

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

Infographic: Love - History of a Concept

A graphic timeline of love from ancient Greece to now

A timeline of the concept of love, from Plato and Aristotle, through early Christianity, courtly love and Christian mysticism, to romantic love and love towards robots. (more...)

Timeline: The Life of Aristotle

An infographic of Aristotle’s life

A timeline of Aristotle’s life shown over a map of ancient Greece. (more...)

Category: Inspiration

Live Like a Corpse

How acceptance of death set the samurai free

Japanese martial philosophy has been mythologized to nefarious ends, but that does not mean it has nothing to teach well-adjusted individuals. (more...)

December 22, 2023

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Guest article by John Shand

1. What I wish to do is to look at the value of art in the wide human cultural context, most fundamentally indeed as part of the human condition. (more...)

The Most Hated Philosopher: Spinoza on God

Philosophy in Quotes

“The eternal and infinite being we call ‘God’ or ‘Nature’ necessarily acts as it does,” writes Spinoza. But what does this mean? (more...)

December 10, 2022

The Ballad of Marie and Elsie

A poem by Professor Michael Hauskeller. (more...)

October 2, 2022

October 2: Happy Birthday, Mahatma Gandhi!

Last Friday was the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom they called the Mahatma, the Great Soul. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

February 7, 2022

The Empathy Paradox

It is often supposed that greater empathy is a good thing. But this is a mistake, unless one assumes that being empathetic will inevitably bring it about that one treats others better. (more...)

January 17, 2022

Taking the Crowded Bus of Life

Epictetus on the Stoic attitude

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus (50-135 AD), one of the most important Stoic philosophers in history, recommends seeing obstacles in our lives as opportunities to improve. (more...)

January 5, 2022

Meaning, Value, Death, and God

What makes our death bearable? How do we create meaning from the certainty of our own deaths? Prof. John Shand analyses the question. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

December 13, 2021

The Stoic View of the Self

Being in someone else’s shoes

For the Stoics, everything that happens to us seems to have a special significance that the same event wouldn’t have if it happened to someone else. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

November 12, 2021

Stoic Control

How to stay calm in everyday life

At the core of the Stoic theory of happiness is our ability to control our thoughts. The wise man should try to exercise control over what they can control and not try to control what they cannot. (more...)

October 30, 2021

Solitude and Contentment

Lessons from hermit lives

Hermits have always lived apart from the societies of their times. But do they have the secret key to happiness? (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

August 28, 2021

The Hermit of Suwarrow

The adventures of Tom Neale (1902-1977)

Tom Neale spent a total of fourteen years alone on a little island in the Suwarrow Atoll in the South Pacific, where he found peace and happiness in solitude. We have a look at this extraordinary life. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Work?

The science behind gratitude diaries

Gratefulness has been proposed as a way to increase one’s happiness in life. But does it work? We look at the science of gratitude diaries to find out whether gratefulness has a positive effect on happiness. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Make Happy?

Brother David-Steindl-Rast on gratefulness

Brother David-Steindl-Rast is one of the most prominent advocates of gratefulness as a way of life. In his famous TED talk, he explains how gratefulness and attention lead to a happier life. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Living Epicurus Today

What is a 21st century Epicurean?

So has Epicurean living become so expensive today as to exclude most of us from practising it? Does one need to be rich in order to be able to afford the simple life? (more...)

Happy in a Concentration Camp?

It's possible, says Viktor E. Frankl

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who, because of his Jewish descent, spent the last six months of World War II in a German concentration camp, which he barely survived. (more...)

Stephanie Mills: Epicurean Simplicity

Is a simple life the key to happiness?

In her book “Epicurean Simplicity,” author and activist Stephanie Mills analyses what is wrong with our modern way of life. (more...)

Kant’s Praiseworthy Motivation

Ethical behaviour can be demanding

A core feature of Kant’s ethics is his insistence on the value of one’s motivation for the morality of an action. As opposed to utilitarianism, Kant does not look at the consequences when judging actions, but only at what he calls the “good will.” (more...)

Are You A Nihilist?

A Defence of Nihilism

The terminology of ‘nihilism’ and ‘the meaning of life’ emerged among a small group of German philosophers at the end of the 18th century who were worried about the French Enlightenment. (more...)

The Real Happiness Machine

Ray Bradbury on living and dying well

In many of Bradbury’s stories we can find an entire philosophy of life that is well worth discovering and adopting. (more...)

Erich Fromm’s New Society

Can we build a better world?

Philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm analysed the problems of Western, capitalist societies. We look at his ideas for the perfect society. (more...)

Erich Fromm: How to Become a Loving Person

What keeps us from finding happiness in love?

Philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm believes that the main source of pain and anxiety for human beings comes from the feeling of separateness from others. (more...)

How Much Money Do We Need?

The long tradition of finding joy outside of consumerism

From Diogenes and Epicurus to Erich Fromm there is a long tradition suggesting that we might be happier with fewer material goods. (more...)

Decluttering the Mind

Erich Fromm on material possessions

If we want to declutter, we must, according to Erich Fromm, first change our relationship to the world. (more...)

To Have Or to Be

Erich Fromm on two different ways of living one’s life

Erich Fromm distinguishes between two modes of existence. One can live one’s life in the “mode of having” or in the “mode of being”. (more...)

Erich Fromm on Our Relation to Technology

Rediscovering ancient skills in everyday life

According to Erich Fromm, modern technology is to be blamed for constant surveillance, destruction of the planet, and widespread AI-caused unemployment. (more...)

February 20, 2021

Richard Taylor on the Creative Life

Real creativity is not only in art

Richard Taylor (1919–2003) thought that it’s creativity that makes us feel happy and fulfilled. According to Taylor, a life lived without exercising one’s creativity is a wasted life. (more...)

February 15, 2021

Erich Fromm on the Psychology of Capitalism

Our world is turning us into mass products. We should resist

Erich Fromm points out that capitalism, in order to work, requires a large population of identical consumers with identical taste. (more...)

December 29, 2020

One Year, Six Ways: A Philosophical Experiment

Daily Philosophy has an idea for this year’s resolution: live your life like a philosopher. Come along to the One Year, Six Ways project! (more...)

December 27, 2020

Aristotle on being human

What is the function of human beings?

For Aristotle, happiness is connected to function. Everything in the universe has a function, and a happy human life is one in which we fulfil that function. (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

December 11, 2020

Human Dignity and Freedom

Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity

Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...)

November 28, 2020

Hannah Arendt on work and being human

Labour, work and action

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) distinguishes three types of work; Labor, work, and action. (more...)

November 24, 2020

Peter Singer's Drowning Child

Are we required to save lives if we can?

Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...)

November 13, 2020

Erich Fromm on Being Productive

Are we active, or just busy?

For Erich Fromm, true activity means to fully use one’s talents in order to grow as a person. The mere display of business is not a sign of productive work. (more...)

November 10, 2020

St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex

The real cost of pure pleasure

For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)

November 3, 2020

Confucius on Loyalty and Betrayal

Would you send your father to prison?

For Confucius, one’s personal loyalties to family, friends, co-workers and superiors are more important than the rules of some abstract ethical theory. (more...)

October 22, 2020

Aristotle and the Roots of Deep Ecology

Modern ecological ethics reaches back to Aristotle and his idea that the flourishing of any one thing is dependent on the flourishing of everything else. (more...)

October 19, 2020

Life Is a Skill

Aristotle's Eudaimonia

Aristotle on living a life well through exercising one’s virtues. (more...)

October 6, 2020

Aristotle on moral development

The three types of human beings

For Aristotle, the moral development of a person progresses in three stages: from akrates, to enkrates, to sophron or wise person. (more...)

September 28, 2020

Love is All Around

Eryximachos’ views in Plato’s Symposion

In Plato’s Symposion, the doctor Eryximachos says that love is the harmony of opposites. This resonates with beliefs in the traditional medicine of many cultures, as well as with our concept of a “balanced” person. (more...)

September 25, 2020

Can love be forever?

In Plato’s Symposium, Plato defines love as the desire for the eternal possession of the good. (more...)

August 22, 2020

August 22: Happy Birthday, Geneva Conventions and Ray Bradbury!

If the Geneva Conventions didn’t exist, Ray Bradbury might have invented them.

August 22 marks the birthday of both the first Geneva Convention (1864) and science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) (more...)

Category: Interviews

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

December 10, 2023

Dan Demetriou on the Ethics of Colonial Monuments

Philosopher interviews

When is it right to remove colonial statues? When should we rewrite old books that are not politically correct any more? (more...)

October 27, 2023

Involuntary Heroes, Accidental Saints. Catherine Greene on Her Book “The Red Hairband”

Philosopher interviews

Catherine Greene is a philosopher and writer. In this interview, we discuss her new book “The Red Hairband” (more...)

Miguel Angel on Running a Philosophy Site

Philosopher interviews

Miguel Angel is the founder and editor of Filosofia En La Red, a Spanish-language philosophy magazine and website. (more...)

December 21, 2022

Shane Epting on the Philosophy of Cities

Philosopher interviews

Shane Epting is an assistant professor of philosophy. In this interview, we discuss the philosophy and future of cities. (more...)

November 5, 2022

Andreas Matthias on Writing About Philosophy

Philosopher interviews

Miguel Angel, editor and owner of Filosofia En La Red, interviews Andreas Matthias, editor of Daily Philosophy, about being a publisher of a philosophy site today. (more...)

September 23, 2022

Paul Lodge on Philosophy and Music

Philosopher interviews

Paul Lodge, Professor of Philosophy and songwriter, sets philosophical poems to music. In this interview, we discuss his background and whether philosophy makes for good songs. (more...)

November 27, 2021

Luis de Miranda on Esprit de Corps

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda is the founder of the Philosophical Health movement, author of Being & Neonness (MIT Press) and Ensemblance (Edinburgh University Press). (more...)

October 22, 2021

Roman Yampolskiy on the dangers of AI

Philosopher interviews

Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville, speaks about the future of AI. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 20, 2021

Andrei Simionescu-Panait on Elegance

Philosopher interviews

Dr Simionescu-Panait talks about his research on the phenomenology of elegance, about ‘Socratic’ approaches to philosophical counseling and about his new book on elegance: “The Reconciled Body.” (more...)

September 2, 2021

Wael B. Hallaq on Islamic Law and Human Rights

Philosopher interviews

Wael B. Hallaq (وائل حلاق‎) is a leading scholar of Islamic law and Islamic intellectual history at Columbia University. In this interview, we ask his opinion on the tension between Western and Islamic conceptions of governance and human rights. (more...)

August 18, 2021

Luca Possati on Transhumanism

Philosopher interviews

Luca M. Possati is researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Educated as philosopher, he has been lecturer at the Institut Catholique de Paris and associate researcher of the Fonds Ricoeur and EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales). (more...)

Luis de Miranda on Philosophical Health

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda lives in Sweden and is a philosophical practitioner, founder of the Philosophical Health movement. (more...)

Category: Law

August 22, 2022

How Free is Free Enough?

Ronald Dworkin on free speech and censorship

Today, we are confronted with the need to weigh free speech against other values like inclusivity, respect and tolerance. We look at the arguments of philosopher Ronald Dworkin in defence of free speech. (more...)

October 18, 2021

Retributivism and Uncertainty

Why do we punish criminals?

Why do we have a criminal justice system? What could possibly justify the state punishing its citizens? Retributivism is the view that we ought to give offenders the suffering that they deserve for harming others. (more...)

Category: Leisurely stroll

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

April 26, 121 AD: Marcus Aurelius is born

Reluctant emperor of Rome, fighter and Stoic philosopher

April 26, 121 AD marks the birthday of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who still inspires us today with his sense of humility and duty. (more...)

December 18, 2020

The Paradoxes of Zeno of Elea

Does an arrow really fly?

Zeno of Elea (490-430 BC) is famous for his paradoxes that seem to prove, among other points, that no movement is possible. If an arrow in flight is standing still whenever we take a photograph of it, when is it actually moving? (more...)

October 23, 2020

Thales of Miletus

A stroll through the history of philosophy

Thales of Miletus is generally cited as one of the first philosophers, although his contributions extended to many sciences and even to business endeavors. (more...)

Category: Letters

Just Fodder Book Review

A reply to Andreas Matthias

Author’s reply to a review in Daily Philosophy of: Josh Milburn, “Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals.” (more...)

A Reply to Andrei Mirovan

This letter is a reply to:Andrei Mirovan: Pyrrhonism: Some Clarifications Compared to other Hellenistic schools of thought, like Stoicism and Epicureanism, Pyrrhonism was systematically neglected throughout the history of Western philosophy… (more...)

Pyrrhonism: Some Clarifications

A reply to Stephen Leach

Compared to other Hellenistic schools of thought, like Stoicism and Epicureanism, Pyrrhonism was systematically neglected throughout the history of Western philosophy… (more...)

Category: Lists

The 7 Most Fascinating Philosopher-Kings in History

Philosopher-kings from Marcus Aurelius to Frederick the Great: What makes a good philosopher-king? (more...)

A Very Short Philosophical Dictionary

A dictionary of philosophy with one exatly entry for each letter. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

Category: Love

December 27, 2023

The Power of Love

Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

In his book “The Art of Loving,” psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm discusses how love is misunderstood in modern societies. (more...)

Plato’s Symposium - Part 1

An introduction

Plato’s Symposium is one of humanity’s immortal texts on love. Seven friends gather at a party one night in ancient Athens and discuss the nature of love. (more...)

A Short History of Love

The concept of love from ancient times to today

In this mini-series of posts, we trace the history of the concept of love from Plato and Aristotle through the Christian world to the Desert Fathers. (more...)

Erich Fromm: How to Become a Loving Person

What keeps us from finding happiness in love?

Philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm believes that the main source of pain and anxiety for human beings comes from the feeling of separateness from others. (more...)

December 3, 2020

How Can We Define Love?

How is love different from liking or friendship?

Love is characterised by: 1. Exclusivity; 2. Constancy; 3. Reciprocity; 4. Uniqueness; and 5. Irrepleaceability of the beloved. (more...)

November 14, 2020

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

What is love made of?

Robert Sternberg thinks that we can best describe love as composed of three “primary” components that combine to produce all the kinds of love that we observe around us: intimacy, passion and decision or commitment. (more...)

November 10, 2020

St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex

The real cost of pure pleasure

For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)

September 28, 2020

Love is All Around

Eryximachos’ views in Plato’s Symposion

In Plato’s Symposion, the doctor Eryximachos says that love is the harmony of opposites. This resonates with beliefs in the traditional medicine of many cultures, as well as with our concept of a “balanced” person. (more...)

September 25, 2020

Can love be forever?

In Plato’s Symposium, Plato defines love as the desire for the eternal possession of the good. (more...)

September 22, 2020

Let’s Talk About Love

The complexities of understanding love

Love is a very complex phenomenon that encompasses sex, friendship, self-love and selflessness, as well as God’s love in many religious traditions. (more...)

Category: Lunchtime philosophy

October 20, 2022

What Is Philosophy in Simple Words?

Philosophy is a field of study that attempts to answer questions that cannot be answered by providing some fact, but that require a deeper understanding of the question. (more...)

December 27, 2021

Who is the Father (or Mother) of Philosophy?

Diotima, Socrates, Plato, Aspasia of Miletus, Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Zi are the most influential figures within their respective traditions. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

Is it stupid to hoard toilet paper?

Sometimes, weird behaviours can be rational

It is too often assumed that hoarding commodities in a crisis is irrational and that everyone would be better off if nobody was hoarding things. But there are arguments to the contrary. (more...)

Category: Modern life

December 7, 2024

Human Extinction

An Even More Modest Proposal

Would it matter if the entire human race became extinct?1 I ask this question not because of any hostility towards human beings – as is fashionable in some circles, humans being seen as the poisonous curse of the Earth it would be better without, nor any generalized misanthropy – rather the opposite. (more...)

October 12, 2024

In Praise of Misinformation

There have been increasingly clamorous calls for the banning, removal, or controlling, or censoring of ‘misinformation’ as an enforced general policy. (more...)

September 15, 2024

How Many Cows Does It Take?

Navigating the Trolley Problem's Moral Dilemma

Here, instead of five people versus one person, the trolley is heading toward N cows and diverting it will kill one person. (more...)

August 30, 2024

Still Against Veganism

A reply to Petrică Nițoaia

My question was – and still is – a short good life with a pain free death, or no life at all, which would you prefer? A reply to Petrică Nițoaia. (more...)

Embracing Kindness

The Moral Argument for Veganism

Ethical arguments against veganism are examined and refuted. (more...)

It's OK to Major in English or History

...and you might even save the world

Just because we can automate something doesn’t mean that we won’t pay over the odds for an analogue version. (more...)

What does Philosophy do?

What could have led to the fact that the study of philosophy does not encourage independent thinking? (more...)

Can You Steal a Culture?

Making sense of cultural appropriation

For a long time, we have been watching the public discussion on cultural appropriation. Many writers and philosophers, even guests we have interviewed here on Daily Philosophy, have been reluctant to discuss the topic in public. (more...)

Taking Pessimism Seriously

Pessimism today has an ambivalent status. On the one hand, even a cursory glance at the world reveals a depressing abundance of dreadful events, tendencies, and phenomena. (more...)

Jean Arnaud on AI and the Future

Philosopher Interviews

Interview with Jean Arnaud, a pioneer of the digital renaissance in art, philosophy, technology, and education. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to the Philosophy of Erich Fromm

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Erich Fromm’s philosophy of happiness. We discuss his life, his ideas and his main works, both in their historical context and how they are still relevant for us today. (more...)

Reasons and Causes

We are not as rational as we think we are

We think our beliefs and attitudes, and even our feelings and moods, are more determined by a reasoning process that brings us to them than they are. (more...)

February 23, 2024

Kant's conception of freedom

Using reason to resist manipulation

Kant on using reason to critically examine our inclinations and uncover the forces that manipulate and misinform us. (more...)

February 17, 2024

A Better Society?

Bonanno's utopian anarchism

Bonanno stands apart with his radical, borderline utopian critique of modern society. (more...)

December 27, 2023

The Power of Love

Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

In his book “The Art of Loving,” psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm discusses how love is misunderstood in modern societies. (more...)

December 22, 2023

Art, Its Value, And How We See Ourselves

Guest article by John Shand

1. What I wish to do is to look at the value of art in the wide human cultural context, most fundamentally indeed as part of the human condition. (more...)

December 15, 2023

Studying Philosophy at a Time of Automated Thinking

Notes to the philosophy student

Philosophy starts by questioning what the other sciences presuppose, the assumptions of all activity, cognition, and knowledge as a whole. (more...)

December 2, 2023

Transhumanism and Misanthropy

Humans are constitutively incapable of virtuous forms of life. Posthumans, of course, can aspire to much more. (more...)

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

The Chatbot

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence

A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence. (more...)

February 19, 2023

Should We Fear Technological Unemployment?

Technology might lead to widespread unemployment. But will this necessarily be a bad thing? Professor Michael Hauskeller on the future of work. (more...)

February 1, 2023

What is Ethical Investing?

We all want our money to serve the right cause – but how can we make sure that it will? Catherine Greene on what is involved in ethical investing and ESG considerations. (more...)

December 19, 2022

What's So Wrong With Engaged Buddhism?

A reply to Ian Kidd

Does an ‘engaged’ Buddhist really have to draw on this picture of the Buddha as a ‘social activist’ to find support for their own activism? (more...)

December 12, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 3)

I focus in this final piece on a neglected aspect of Buddha’s teachings: the condemnation of social activism and political engagement. (more...)

December 5, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists? (Part 2)

Changing the world, challenging patriarchy, revolution, and the whole ethos of radical reformism is nothing like what the Buddha taught. (more...)

November 28, 2022

Should Buddhists Be Social Activists?

Buddhism is widely admired in the West for its commitments to progressive social activism. But is this really in the spirit of true Buddhism? (more...)

October 15, 2022

Quiet Quitting

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

For many, quietly quitting work is the only answer to a job that is exploitative, meaningless and empty. But is quietly quitting really the best way to reclaim our lives? (more...)

Can AI write philosophy?

How Jasper AI will shake up education

I tried out Jasper AI, a computer program that generates natural language text. It turns out that it can create near-perfect output that would easily pass for a human-written undergraduate philosophy paper. (more...)

Am I irrational?

And how would I know?

People as well as large-scale events, for example, the Durch Tulip Mania or the technology crash in the early 2000s, are sometimes said to be irrational. But what exactly do we mean by that? (more...)

What’s Wrong with The Passion Economy?

Adam Davidson’s “The Passion Economy”

Adam Davidson describes the “Passion Economy” in a book released in 2020. This article shows why Davidson’s proposal is not a sustainable solution to fix our current relationship with work. (more...)

When Is an AI System Sentient?

Blake Lemoine and LaMDA AI

How can we tell whether an AI program “thinks” or “feels”? In the recent debate of Blake Lemoine’s claims about LaMDA, a functionalist approach can help us understand machine consciousness and feelings. (more...)

The Ultimate Guide to Epicurus

Biography, ideas, books

A comprehensive overview of Epicurus’ philosophy of happiness. Epicurus is one of the few ancient philosophers who are more relevant today than they were in their own times. Learn all about him right here. (more...)

Philosophy and Nuclear Weapons

In 1964, Bertrand Russell wrote that the philosopher’s duty was now to forget philosophy and to study “the probable effects of a nuclear war.” (more...)

February 21, 2022

I’m depressed and it’s all your fault!

Separating depression from sadness

Are we driving ourselves insane? And have we been doing so for over a hundred years? To understand this, we need to understand how we came to think of ourselves as depressed. (more...)

January 24, 2022

The Dialectic of Enlightenment

Horkheimer, Adorno and the Frankfurt School

The Frankfurt School is generally taken to mean a lose collection of thinkers who first congregated around the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (more...)

January 12, 2022

Nothing Matters. Or Does It?

What exactly do we mean when we say that “nothing matters”? More than sixty years ago, the British philosopher Richard Mervyn Hare attempted to answer this question in an early essay. (more...)

November 27, 2021

Luis de Miranda on Esprit de Corps

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda is the founder of the Philosophical Health movement, author of Being & Neonness (MIT Press) and Ensemblance (Edinburgh University Press). (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 22, 2021

Roman Yampolskiy on the dangers of AI

Philosopher interviews

Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Louisville, speaks about the future of AI. (more...)

September 2, 2021

Wael B. Hallaq on Islamic Law and Human Rights

Philosopher interviews

Wael B. Hallaq (وائل حلاق‎) is a leading scholar of Islamic law and Islamic intellectual history at Columbia University. In this interview, we ask his opinion on the tension between Western and Islamic conceptions of governance and human rights. (more...)

August 23, 2021

August 23: Happy Birthday, #hashtag!

Where would we be without the hashtag?

The symbol #, which we today call the hashtag, has had a profound influence on our culture, from IRC and Twitter to #MeToo. It was invented on August 23, 2007. (more...)

August 18, 2021

Luca Possati on Transhumanism

Philosopher interviews

Luca M. Possati is researcher at the University of Porto, Portugal. Educated as philosopher, he has been lecturer at the Institut Catholique de Paris and associate researcher of the Fonds Ricoeur and EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales). (more...)

August 16, 2021

Inventing the New World

Can AIs have intellectual property?

For the first time in history, an AI called DABUS has been granted a patent in South Africa. This article analyses the metaphysics of attributing inventions to non-human agents. (more...)

August 11, 2021

Nudges

The hidden influencers

In a book published in 2008, R. H. Thaler and C. R. Sunstein define nudges as “any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way.” (more...)

Agency in the Anthropocene

How much choice do you actually have?

If we are natural beings who evolved with everything else, why have we had such a hugely detrimental impact on that biosphere, which also happens to be our home? (more...)

Is Data Science Evil?

What does “Don’t Be Evil” really mean?

Computers have a long history of being associated with evilness. Machine minds without emotions suggest cruelty, unflinching execution of inhuman orders. (more...)

Luis de Miranda on Philosophical Health

Philosopher interviews

Luis de Miranda lives in Sweden and is a philosophical practitioner, founder of the Philosophical Health movement. (more...)

The Uncontrollability of AI

The creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise, but with it also comes existential risk. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Living Epicurus Today

What is a 21st century Epicurean?

So has Epicurean living become so expensive today as to exclude most of us from practising it? Does one need to be rich in order to be able to afford the simple life? (more...)

Happy Endings

Does size or shape matter most?

We’ve heard it all our lives — size matters and bigger is better. But David Velleman wants you to believe that shape can matter more! (more...)

What is Luddism?

The challenges of modern technology

Luddism is the thesis that technology must serve human life and that often the use of technologies does not make for better or happier societies. (more...)

Political violence

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of employing violence as a means of politics. Are we ever justified to use violent means in pursuit of political goals? (more...)

Selling Happiness, One Chump at a Time

We are not water pills. We are highly scientific magic pills based on an ancient organic recipe. (more...)

Stephanie Mills: Epicurean Simplicity

Is a simple life the key to happiness?

In her book “Epicurean Simplicity,” author and activist Stephanie Mills analyses what is wrong with our modern way of life. (more...)

The Utility Monster is... other people!

Imagine waking up every evening, putting on your happy face, walking over to your immaculately laid out recording studio and… Enthusiastically unwrapping that mysterious package someone just sent you… You have no idea what it is, no really! (more...)

Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of the death penalty, and particularly the question whether other countries have the right to withhold the drugs used in US executions. (more...)

Enlightened Self-Interest

Friends with benefits

If you explain to a friend that Hedonistic Egoism advocates the pursuit of one’s own pleasure, the first reaction you may get is: “so why not kill a person, steal his money and buy a new phone?” If you do get this reaction, it may be time to get a new friend. (more...)

Chimeras: Animals as hosts for human organs?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the complex ethics of growing human organs in animal hosts. Are we in danger of creating human-like animals? Could such animals claim human rights? And are we sufficiently respecting the dignity of such animal hosts? (more...)

Who Needs Cash Anyway?

The ethics of a cashless society

A cashless society seems convenient, but it has severe drawbacks, especially for the least privileged in society. (more...)

Psychological Hedonism

You Know You Want It

According to Psychological Hedonism, we are all just looking for fun. Psychological Hedonism is a theory about motivation. (more...)

Who Owns Space?

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. Today: Who owns space? (more...)

What to Do When People Talk #$!!~#

The importance of meaningful disagreement

Can two people’s experiences and outlooks on life be so different that meaningful communication between them is impossible? Recent events suggest so. (more...)

Simulating Pleasure

If it feels good, does it matter whether it’s real?

Nozick asked readers to imagine a machine produced by “super-duper neuropsychologists” that could give you any experience you could think of without you realising it was all a computer simulation. He called it the Experience Machine. (more...)

Legalising drugs

The Accented Philosophy Podcast

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. Today: Should we legalise drugs? (more...)

Is Pleasure Good?

Don’t forget your safe word

Hedonists believe that pleasure is the only thing that ultimately makes our lives go well for us and that pain is the only thing that ultimately makes our lives go badly for us. If that’s true, why are so many hedonists into BDSM? (more...)

New: The Accented Philosophy Podcast

First episode: Ethics of vaccination passports

The relevant philosophy podcast with Dr Ezechiel Thibaud and Dr Andreas Matthias. Two philosophers with cute accents and their guests discuss the intricacies of modern life. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com. Every Tuesday. (more...)

Erich Fromm’s New Society

Can we build a better world?

Philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm analysed the problems of Western, capitalist societies. We look at his ideas for the perfect society. (more...)

What is Alienation?

Karl Marx on how society fails us

One of his best known concepts of Marxism is the idea of “alienation” that describes how human beings get estranged from their work. (more...)

How Much Money Do We Need?

The long tradition of finding joy outside of consumerism

From Diogenes and Epicurus to Erich Fromm there is a long tradition suggesting that we might be happier with fewer material goods. (more...)

Who Gets the Vaccine First?

Philosopher John Rawls on justice and privilege

How should we go about distributing a scarce vaccine? Philosopher John Rawls formulated two principles of justice that we can use to guide our decisions. (more...)

Decluttering the Mind

Erich Fromm on material possessions

If we want to declutter, we must, according to Erich Fromm, first change our relationship to the world. (more...)

Vaccination Ethics

Can the state force us to get vaccinated?

Vaccination ethics is a surprisingly rich field of philosophical inquiry, and it covers issues from all major moral theories, reaching into world politics, poverty, the role of the state and the morality of taxation and car seat belts. (more...)

To Have Or to Be

Erich Fromm on two different ways of living one’s life

Erich Fromm distinguishes between two modes of existence. One can live one’s life in the “mode of having” or in the “mode of being”. (more...)

Erich Fromm on Our Relation to Technology

Rediscovering ancient skills in everyday life

According to Erich Fromm, modern technology is to be blamed for constant surveillance, destruction of the planet, and widespread AI-caused unemployment. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Society, Technology and Progress

The false promise of unlimited progress

According to philosopher Erich Fromm, the dream of endless technological development has led to a depletion of natural resources and the destruction of nature. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Escaping from Freedom

The attractiveness of being unfree

Erich Fromm claims that freedom itself can sometimes be the cause of fear and anxiety, forcing us to find ways to “escape from freedom.” Authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton conformity are three ways how we try to cope with the freedom we fear. (more...)

February 20, 2021

Richard Taylor on the Creative Life

Real creativity is not only in art

Richard Taylor (1919–2003) thought that it’s creativity that makes us feel happy and fulfilled. According to Taylor, a life lived without exercising one’s creativity is a wasted life. (more...)

February 17, 2021

History of Robots: From Albertus Magnus to the Blade Runner

The story of our fascination with our own image

From ancient China and the European Middle Ages, to zombies, Frankenstein’s monster and HAL 9000, our literary tradition is full of robots – sometimes helpful, sometimes threatening, and always questioning what it really means to be human. (more...)

February 15, 2021

Erich Fromm on the Psychology of Capitalism

Our world is turning us into mass products. We should resist

Erich Fromm points out that capitalism, in order to work, requires a large population of identical consumers with identical taste. (more...)

February 14, 2021

Bertrand Russell on How to Find Happiness

The Conquest of Happiness

In “The Conquest of Happiness”, Russell argues that what makes us happy is an active life, directed by a deep and sustained interest in the world. (more...)

February 9, 2021

The Conquest of Unhappiness

Bertrand Russell proposes happiness as an antidote to envy. Someone who is happy will be content with what they have and will not be looking to compare themselves with others. (more...)

February 8, 2021

The Conquest of Happiness and Why It Matters Today

Bertrand Russell on how to be happy

Bertrand Russell’s book ‘The Conquest of Happiness’ (1930) attempts to analyse the conditions for happiness in our modern world, focusing on the different mindsets of the unhappy and the happy person. (more...)

January 9, 2021

How to Live an Aristotelian Life

Become happy through being good

Aristotle’s theory of happiness rests on three concepts: (1) the virtues; (2) phronesis or practical wisdom; and (3) eudaimonia or flourishing. (more...)

December 29, 2020

One Year, Six Ways: A Philosophical Experiment

Daily Philosophy has an idea for this year’s resolution: live your life like a philosopher. Come along to the One Year, Six Ways project! (more...)

December 11, 2020

Human Dignity and Freedom

Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity

Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...)

December 8, 2020

Epicurus and Luddism

Would we be happier without technology?

Technology, at least in the way that it is deployed in capitalism contradicts the essential simplicity of the ideal Epicurean life. (more...)

November 28, 2020

Hannah Arendt on work and being human

Labour, work and action

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) distinguishes three types of work; Labor, work, and action. (more...)

November 24, 2020

The Ethics of Organ Transplants

Can you kill one to save many?

Are we ever allowed to kill one in order to save many lives? Utilitarianism would look at the overall benefit and conclude that this might be permissible. (more...)

November 19, 2020

Which Social Media Site Is the Most Ethical?

A case for applied utilitarianism

Social media affect our society in many ways: addiction, democracy, the decline of journalism, privacy, surveillance, and effects on friendships. (more...)

November 15, 2020

Is Whistleblowing Ethical?

...and why Confucius might disagree

Whistleblowing might be wrong because it violates one’s obligations to one’s friends, relatives, co-workers or superiors. (more...)

November 14, 2020

The Ethics of Eating Meat

Four moral theories and their views

Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...)

November 13, 2020

Erich Fromm on Being Productive

Are we active, or just busy?

For Erich Fromm, true activity means to fully use one’s talents in order to grow as a person. The mere display of business is not a sign of productive work. (more...)

November 10, 2020

St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex

The real cost of pure pleasure

For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)

October 22, 2020

Aristotle and the Roots of Deep Ecology

Modern ecological ethics reaches back to Aristotle and his idea that the flourishing of any one thing is dependent on the flourishing of everything else. (more...)

September 23, 2020

September 23: Happy Birthday, Kublai Khan!

Xanadu, poets, pop singers, and a day devoid of significance

Did you know that singer Olivia Newton-John is the granddaughter of the famous physicist Max Born, one of the two people who claimed to have discovered the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics? (more...)

September 22, 2020

Let’s Talk About Love

The complexities of understanding love

Love is a very complex phenomenon that encompasses sex, friendship, self-love and selflessness, as well as God’s love in many religious traditions. (more...)

September 19, 2020

Freedom is always the freedom to think otherwise

Rosa Luxemburg today

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919), socialist revolutionary, once said: “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.” (more...)

August 21, 2020

August 21: Happy Birthday, Sergey Brin!

Are we allowed to be evil now?

Today marks the birthday of Sergey Brin of Google fame and the first public presentation of William Burroughs’ calculating machine in 1888. (more...)

Is it stupid to hoard toilet paper?

Sometimes, weird behaviours can be rational

It is too often assumed that hoarding commodities in a crisis is irrational and that everyone would be better off if nobody was hoarding things. But there are arguments to the contrary. (more...)

Category: Modernes leben

January 28, 2021

Touching Fish

Is laziness a human right?

Being lazy, far from being something good, would be, for Aristotle, a total failure of a human being and the best way for someone to make sure that they will never reach true happiness. (more...)

Category: One year six ways

Erich Fromm (1900-1980)

The unconscious forces that shape our societies

Erich Fromm (1900-1980) was a German social psychologist and philosopher who had enormous popular success from the 1950s all the way to the end of his life in 1980. We discuss his work and his relation to Marxism and Freud. (more...)

December 13, 2021

The Stoic View of the Self

Being in someone else’s shoes

For the Stoics, everything that happens to us seems to have a special significance that the same event wouldn’t have if it happened to someone else. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

November 12, 2021

Stoic Control

How to stay calm in everyday life

At the core of the Stoic theory of happiness is our ability to control our thoughts. The wise man should try to exercise control over what they can control and not try to control what they cannot. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

October 30, 2021

Solitude and Contentment

Lessons from hermit lives

Hermits have always lived apart from the societies of their times. But do they have the secret key to happiness? (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 4, 2021

Gardens of Refuge

From the Garden of Eden to urban allotments, gardens have accompanied and enriched human history and culture from ancient times to now. In this article, Ian James Kidd traces the spiritual history of gardens as places of refuge from the world. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

August 28, 2021

The Hermit of Suwarrow

The adventures of Tom Neale (1902-1977)

Tom Neale spent a total of fourteen years alone on a little island in the Suwarrow Atoll in the South Pacific, where he found peace and happiness in solitude. We have a look at this extraordinary life. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Work?

The science behind gratitude diaries

Gratefulness has been proposed as a way to increase one’s happiness in life. But does it work? We look at the science of gratitude diaries to find out whether gratefulness has a positive effect on happiness. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Make Happy?

Brother David-Steindl-Rast on gratefulness

Brother David-Steindl-Rast is one of the most prominent advocates of gratefulness as a way of life. In his famous TED talk, he explains how gratefulness and attention lead to a happier life. (more...)

Grateful to No One

How does gratefulness work?

It seems that we should only be grateful for something good done to us. But already the Stoics had seen that sometimes benefits come disguised as burdens. (more...)

What is Gratefulness?

Gratitude, gratefulness and our view of ourselves

One could also say that gratitude is always gratitude to someone, while gratefulness emphasises what we are grateful for, even if there is nobody to be grateful to for that thing. (more...)

Living Epicurus Today

What is a 21st century Epicurean?

So has Epicurean living become so expensive today as to exclude most of us from practising it? Does one need to be rich in order to be able to afford the simple life? (more...)

What Are Friends For?

Epicurus on Friendship

Epicurus’ view on the value of friends has often been romanticised and equally often misunderstood. Here, we discuss Epicurus’ philosophy of friendship. (more...)

What is Luddism?

The challenges of modern technology

Luddism is the thesis that technology must serve human life and that often the use of technologies does not make for better or happier societies. (more...)

Stephanie Mills: Epicurean Simplicity

Is a simple life the key to happiness?

In her book “Epicurean Simplicity,” author and activist Stephanie Mills analyses what is wrong with our modern way of life. (more...)

Epicurus: The Wise Man and the Fool

What’s wrong about being a happy fool?

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus once wrote that “the misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.” But why would that be so? It becomes clearer when we look at Epicurus’ theory of desires. (more...)

It’s A New Sun Every Day

Heraclitus and Epicurus on accepting change

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said that one cannot step into the same river twice. But what does this really mean? And what can we learn from this for our own lives? (more...)

Old Age and Death

Epicurus on trouble in the soul

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus emphasises that, in a world that works according to physical laws, nobody ought to be afraid of either the gods or one’s own death. (more...)

Epicureanism: The Basic Idea

Is it so hard to satisfy our senses?

Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC) believes that the way to ensure happiness throughout life is to reduce one’s desires so that they can be easily fulfilled. (more...)

Epicurus (341-270 BC)

The misunderstood ascetic

Epicurus (341-270 BC) is often seen as an advocate of a luxurious life, rich in good food and other pleasures. This is incorrect. (more...)

Aldous Huxley’s “Island”

An even braver new world?

The last book of visionary writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Island, is a bold attempt to envision a utopian society that provides its members with everything they need to achieve happiness in life. (more...)

What is Alienation?

Karl Marx on how society fails us

One of his best known concepts of Marxism is the idea of “alienation” that describes how human beings get estranged from their work. (more...)

How Much Money Do We Need?

The long tradition of finding joy outside of consumerism

From Diogenes and Epicurus to Erich Fromm there is a long tradition suggesting that we might be happier with fewer material goods. (more...)

Decluttering the Mind

Erich Fromm on material possessions

If we want to declutter, we must, according to Erich Fromm, first change our relationship to the world. (more...)

To Have Or to Be

Erich Fromm on two different ways of living one’s life

Erich Fromm distinguishes between two modes of existence. One can live one’s life in the “mode of having” or in the “mode of being”. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Society, Technology and Progress

The false promise of unlimited progress

According to philosopher Erich Fromm, the dream of endless technological development has led to a depletion of natural resources and the destruction of nature. (more...)

Erich Fromm: Escaping from Freedom

The attractiveness of being unfree

Erich Fromm claims that freedom itself can sometimes be the cause of fear and anxiety, forcing us to find ways to “escape from freedom.” Authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton conformity are three ways how we try to cope with the freedom we fear. (more...)

February 22, 2021

Hedonism, Pleasure and Happiness

Is pleasure the same as happiness?

Hedonism is the thesis that happiness and pleasure are the same. But is that true? Does the enjoyment of pleasures like good food, chocolate, sex and a myriad other things that we consume everyday — do these things really make us happier? (more...)

February 20, 2021

Richard Taylor on the Creative Life

Real creativity is not only in art

Richard Taylor (1919–2003) thought that it’s creativity that makes us feel happy and fulfilled. According to Taylor, a life lived without exercising one’s creativity is a wasted life. (more...)

February 14, 2021

Bertrand Russell on How to Find Happiness

The Conquest of Happiness

In “The Conquest of Happiness”, Russell argues that what makes us happy is an active life, directed by a deep and sustained interest in the world. (more...)

February 8, 2021

The Conquest of Happiness and Why It Matters Today

Bertrand Russell on how to be happy

Bertrand Russell’s book ‘The Conquest of Happiness’ (1930) attempts to analyse the conditions for happiness in our modern world, focusing on the different mindsets of the unhappy and the happy person. (more...)

February 4, 2021

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Not all who wander are lost

Aristotle (384-322 BC), born in Stageira, Greece, is one of the most influential philosophers who ever lived. He worked not only in philosophy, but also wrote dozens of books on all topics, from astronomy and biology to literary theory. (more...)

February 1, 2021

Bertrand Russell (1892-1970)

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher and writer, one of the most important analytic philosophers of the 20th century. (more...)

January 25, 2021

Martha Nussbaum and the Capabilities Approach

What makes a human life worth living?

In the capabilities approach, philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that a human life, in order to reach its highest potential, must include a number of “capabilities” – that is, of actual possibilities that one can realise in one’s life. (more...)

January 9, 2021

How to Live an Aristotelian Life

Become happy through being good

Aristotle’s theory of happiness rests on three concepts: (1) the virtues; (2) phronesis or practical wisdom; and (3) eudaimonia or flourishing. (more...)

November 24, 2020

What Is a Stoic Person?

Learning to control one’s mind

A Stoic is an adherent of Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of life. Stoics thought that, in order to be happy, we must learn to distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot. (more...)

Category: Other essays

November 16, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine (2)

Part B. The Test of the Wine

Plato’s use of drunkenness, mainly in the Symposium but also in the Phaedrus, is a metaphor designed to defend Socrates’ philosophical inspiration. (more...)

November 8, 2021

Plato and the Ancient Politics of Wine

Part A. The Philosopher’s Drunken Vision

We discuss Plato’s description of Socrates’ philosophical inspiration as “drunkenness” and/or Dionysian mania; Plato’s metaphor draws on earlier Greek poetry. (more...)

December 24, 2020

Merry Christmas!

Two versions of the Christmas story

I know that we’re about philosophy here, not religion, but perhaps we can make an exception and get into the right mindset for Christmas. (more...)

December 11, 2020

Human Dignity and Freedom

Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity

Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...)

March 28: Thales Predicts a Solar Eclipse

March 28, 585 BC - Really?

On March 28, 585 BC, Thales of Miletus was supposed to have observed an eclipse of the Sun. A short history of the difficulty of knowing the date. (more...)

Category: Political philosophy

Liberty, Democracy, Justice

Can the Center Hold?

In the Republic, Plato speaks of society in metaphorical terms as “our city of words.” The dialogue is essentially about justice as a human virtue. (more...)

February 23, 2024

Kant's conception of freedom

Using reason to resist manipulation

Kant on using reason to critically examine our inclinations and uncover the forces that manipulate and misinform us. (more...)

February 17, 2024

A Better Society?

Bonanno's utopian anarchism

Bonanno stands apart with his radical, borderline utopian critique of modern society. (more...)

Hobbes Reconsidered

Hobbes’s conception of humankind in a state of nature begins with the idea that everyone is more or less equal and free. (more...)

Erich Fromm’s New Society

Can we build a better world?

Philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm analysed the problems of Western, capitalist societies. We look at his ideas for the perfect society. (more...)

Category: Primers

Kant’s Ethics: What is a Categorical Imperative?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Kant’s ethics is based on the value of one’s motivation and two so-called Categorical Imperatives, or general rules that must apply to every action. (more...)

What is Utilitarianism?

A Daily Philosophy primer

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that states that the morally right action maximizes happiness or benefit and minimizes pain or harm for all stakeholders. Proponents of classic utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). (more...)

Unpacking Descartes’ Meditations

A Daily Philosophy primer

This short primer explores René Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, his contribution to rationalism, and his impact on early modern philosophy. (more...)

Category: Questions

December 13, 2023

What is a Fallacy?

How to Spot and Avoid Logical Pitfalls

A fallacy in Critical Thinking is an error in argumentation that makes an argument invalid. (more...)

October 4, 2023

How To Self-Study Philosophy

5 game-changing tips

Here are a philosophy lecturer’s 5 tips on how to self-study philosophy as an adult learner. (more...)

January 13, 2023

Kant’s Joke: Are Practical Jokes Wrong?

According to Immanuel Kant, practical jokes would be considered immoral because they treat the subject as mere means to others’ enjoyment. (more...)

October 20, 2022

What Is Philosophy in Simple Words?

Philosophy is a field of study that attempts to answer questions that cannot be answered by providing some fact, but that require a deeper understanding of the question. (more...)

December 27, 2021

Who is the Father (or Mother) of Philosophy?

Diotima, Socrates, Plato, Aspasia of Miletus, Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Zi are the most influential figures within their respective traditions. (more...)

November 29, 2021

What Is a Valid Argument?

Critical Thinking basics

In a valid argument, it is not possible that the conclusion is false when the premises are true. Or, in other words: In a valid argument, whenever the premises are true, the conclusion also has to be true. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

November 5, 2021

Is Lying Ethical?

Lying, deception and when they are justified

Lying is generally perceived as unethical behaviour. Depending on the moral theory used, lying in special circumstances (for example, “white” lies or lies that benefit others or avert harm) might be morally justifiable. (more...)

Category: Quotes

January 22, 2023

Albert Schweitzer on the Reverence for Life

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Philosopher and Theologian Albert Schweitzer on the Reverence for Life. (more...)

Jeremy Bentham on Animal Ethics

Philosophy in Quotes

A history of philosophy in its most famous quotes. Today: Jeremy Bentham on the suffering of animals: “The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?” (more...)

February 16, 2022

Socrates on Knowing Nothing

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Socrates on knowing that you know nothing. (more...)

February 12, 2022

Immanuel Kant on Means and Ends

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes! Today: Immanuel Kant on how to treat human beings. (more...)

February 5, 2022

Marcus Aurelius on Opinions

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes. Today: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul…” (more...)

Category: Reference

December 13, 2023

What is a Fallacy?

How to Spot and Avoid Logical Pitfalls

A fallacy in Critical Thinking is an error in argumentation that makes an argument invalid. (more...)

December 7, 2023

The Presocratics

The most important thinkers and their ideas

The Presocratic philosophers were a group of thinkers who lived in ancient Greece before the time of Socrates. They were interested in understanding the natural world and the underlying principles that govern it. (more...)

Category: Religion

February 16, 2024

Islam in 10 Minutes

Its history and main ideas

How did Islam begin and expand, what do Muslims believe, and what does the daily practice of a Muslim believer look like? (more...)

October 22, 2023

What is the Philosophy of Religion?

Does every religion need a god?

The philosophy of religion is a wide and varied field of study that is different from both theology and the history of religions. It touches metaphysics, epistemology and many other areas of philosophy. (more...)

The Most Hated Philosopher: Spinoza on God

Philosophy in Quotes

“The eternal and infinite being we call ‘God’ or ‘Nature’ necessarily acts as it does,” writes Spinoza. But what does this mean? (more...)

January 5, 2022

Meaning, Value, Death, and God

What makes our death bearable? How do we create meaning from the certainty of our own deaths? Prof. John Shand analyses the question. (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 25, 2021

Dao De Jing: A Hermit’s Manual

Daoism and the hermit life

The Dao De Jing, one of the main books of Daoism, has always appealed to hermits. In this article, we look at it through a hermit’s eyes. (more...)

September 17, 2021

Dao De Jing

The Taoist book of the Way

The Dao De Jing, literally “The Classic of the Way and the Virtue,” is traditionally attributed to an author known only as Lao Zi, which means “Old Master.” (more...)

September 2, 2021

Wael B. Hallaq on Islamic Law and Human Rights

Philosopher interviews

Wael B. Hallaq (وائل حلاق‎) is a leading scholar of Islamic law and Islamic intellectual history at Columbia University. In this interview, we ask his opinion on the tension between Western and Islamic conceptions of governance and human rights. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

Does Gratefulness Make Happy?

Brother David-Steindl-Rast on gratefulness

Brother David-Steindl-Rast is one of the most prominent advocates of gratefulness as a way of life. In his famous TED talk, he explains how gratefulness and attention lead to a happier life. (more...)

Grateful to No One

How does gratefulness work?

It seems that we should only be grateful for something good done to us. But already the Stoics had seen that sometimes benefits come disguised as burdens. (more...)

Are You A Nihilist?

A Defence of Nihilism

The terminology of ‘nihilism’ and ‘the meaning of life’ emerged among a small group of German philosophers at the end of the 18th century who were worried about the French Enlightenment. (more...)

February 26, 2021

Monism, Dualism and the Philosophy of Mind

Do we have a soul?

The human mind is unique and we know of no other comparable phenomenon in the universe. The philosophy of mind (monism, dualism, computationalism) attempts to explain what exactly the mind is. (more...)

February 17, 2021

History of Robots: From Albertus Magnus to the Blade Runner

The story of our fascination with our own image

From ancient China and the European Middle Ages, to zombies, Frankenstein’s monster and HAL 9000, our literary tradition is full of robots – sometimes helpful, sometimes threatening, and always questioning what it really means to be human. (more...)

February 10, 2021

The Artificial Man in Ancient Myth

The story of our fascination with our own image

The “artificial man” is not a new concept. Today, we call them robots, but many cultures have a myth about the creation of man and often it is a god who, through the use of divine powers, makes man out of some inanimate material. (more...)

December 24, 2020

Merry Christmas!

Two versions of the Christmas story

I know that we’re about philosophy here, not religion, but perhaps we can make an exception and get into the right mindset for Christmas. (more...)

December 22, 2020

Plato and Christianity

Perfection, theosophy and organic hand-creams

Plato’s ideas about the eternal world of perfect Forms provided a template upon which Christian philosophers could build their vision of the eternal, transcendent realm of God. (more...)

Category: Science

Boltzmann Brains and Epistemology

Entropy can be calculated with a concept called multiplicity. The multiplicity is the number of indistinguishable possibilities that could cause the results we observe. (more...)

August 19, 2023

The Surprising Ethics of Climate Change

Given that climate change is, quite literally, an existential problem, it’s strange that we’re not all rushing to solve it. (more...)

January 9, 2023

When Does a Fetus Have Rights?

What sort of rights should a fetus or embryo have? A clear, comprehensive review of the arguments. (more...)

November 3, 2022

The Problem with Scientism

In these days of crisis in the humanities, as well as in the social sciences, it is crucial to distinguish valid from ill-founded criticism of any academic effort. (more...)

April 25: Happy Birthday, Genetic Engineering!

April 25, 1953: Watson and Crick publish DNA double helix

On April 25, 1953, Watson and Crick published their paper on the structure of the DNA molecule in the journal Nature. This was the beginning of all modern molecular biology and genetic engineering. (more...)

Category: Showcase

October 23, 2020

Thales of Miletus

A stroll through the history of philosophy

Thales of Miletus is generally cited as one of the first philosophers, although his contributions extended to many sciences and even to business endeavors. (more...)

September 28, 2020

Love is All Around

Eryximachos’ views in Plato’s Symposion

In Plato’s Symposion, the doctor Eryximachos says that love is the harmony of opposites. This resonates with beliefs in the traditional medicine of many cultures, as well as with our concept of a “balanced” person. (more...)

Category: Stoicism

February 5, 2022

Marcus Aurelius on Opinions

Philosophy in Quotes

Explore philosophy through its most famous quotes. Today: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul…” (more...)

January 17, 2022

Taking the Crowded Bus of Life

Epictetus on the Stoic attitude

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus (50-135 AD), one of the most important Stoic philosophers in history, recommends seeing obstacles in our lives as opportunities to improve. (more...)

December 13, 2021

The Stoic View of the Self

Being in someone else’s shoes

For the Stoics, everything that happens to us seems to have a special significance that the same event wouldn’t have if it happened to someone else. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

November 12, 2021

Stoic Control

How to stay calm in everyday life

At the core of the Stoic theory of happiness is our ability to control our thoughts. The wise man should try to exercise control over what they can control and not try to control what they cannot. (more...)

November 11, 2021

What Does ‘Stoic’ Mean?

A short history of Stoicism

A ‘Stoic’ attitude to life aims to achieve lasting happiness by staying calm, rational and emotionally detached, while cultivating one’s virtues. (more...)

April 26, 121 AD: Marcus Aurelius is born

Reluctant emperor of Rome, fighter and Stoic philosopher

April 26, 121 AD marks the birthday of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who still inspires us today with his sense of humility and duty. (more...)

November 24, 2020

What Is a Stoic Person?

Learning to control one’s mind

A Stoic is an adherent of Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of life. Stoics thought that, in order to be happy, we must learn to distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot. (more...)

Category: Stories

October 4, 2024

Verdict

We, the Jury, duly impaneled and sworn, upon our oaths, do find the defendant, of her own free will, as to Count One, guilty of First-degree Murder. (more...)

Same Again?

Edward’s decision was, for the rest of his life, never to spend more than one night in any given place. (more...)

Transfer of Matter

My eyes widen as I stare at the board, the possibilities beginning to fill my mind. (more...)

February 3, 2024

Nothing

Nothing is ever nothing. What a paradox! Everything is something, in a way. (more...)

January 12, 2024

Meaning

Call me Gottlob. And just to make sure we don’t get off on the wrong foot, my name is indeed Gottlob. But what is the actual meaning of names? (more...)

A Not Very Philosophical Zombie

They’re saying Brian was never alive! They’re treating him like he wasn’t real, like he never existed! (more...)

February 11, 2023

A Language of One’s Own

Reg was pleased that, finally, he was now retired from his job in the Royal Mail Central Delivery Office in Birmingham. (more...)

September 2, 2022

Nigerian Scammers and Philosophical Muggers

A Short Story on Epistemic Humility and The Best Possible Life, All Things Considered (more...)

November 22, 2021

Mother Knows Best

I know it’s got to be done. Even so, I still feel bad about it. If it were up to me, we would cancel the whole thing. Fortunately, it’s not. It’s up to Mother, and Mother knows best. (more...)

The New Companion

I’m not gonna lie to you: when I finally received the cybermail notification that my purchase was approved and I could pick it up from the Companions ‘R’ Us warehouse in Manchester, I was literally electrified. (more...)

Category: Today

May 10: Happy Birthday, Karl Barth!

Christianity does not accept any leader beside God

Karl Barth, born May 10, insisted that the Church should not collaborate with the Nazi state in Germany. (more...)

August 23, 2021

August 23: Happy Birthday, #hashtag!

Where would we be without the hashtag?

The symbol #, which we today call the hashtag, has had a profound influence on our culture, from IRC and Twitter to #MeToo. It was invented on August 23, 2007. (more...)

April 25: Happy Birthday, Genetic Engineering!

April 25, 1953: Watson and Crick publish DNA double helix

On April 25, 1953, Watson and Crick published their paper on the structure of the DNA molecule in the journal Nature. This was the beginning of all modern molecular biology and genetic engineering. (more...)

September 26, 2020

September 26: Happy Birthday, Martin Heidegger!

September 26: Martin Heidegger’s Birthday (1889-1976) (more...)

September 23, 2020

September 23: Happy Birthday, Kublai Khan!

Xanadu, poets, pop singers, and a day devoid of significance

Did you know that singer Olivia Newton-John is the granddaughter of the famous physicist Max Born, one of the two people who claimed to have discovered the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics? (more...)

September 22, 2020

September 22: John Conway (1937-2020)

The inventor of the Game of Life

John Horton Conway (1937-2020), mathematician, inventor of the “Game of Life” simulation of cellular automata. (more...)

September 21, 2020

September 21: Happy Birthday, Bill Murray!

Without Bill Murray many movies of the past 44 years would have been a lot less memorable. (more...)

August 30, 2020

August 27: Happy Birthday, Human Rights!

August 27, 1789: Declaration of the Rights of the Man and the Citizen

The French Declaration of the Rights of the Man and the Citizen is a remarkable document, not only because its main ideas found their way into many national constitutions and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (more...)

August 26, 2020

August 26: Happy Birthday, Mother Teresa!

Being good doesn’t mean that one has to be perfect.

Mother Teresa, born August 26, was a divisive Saint who devoted her life to the care of the poorest in Calcutta, India. (more...)

August 25, 2020

August 25: Happy Birthday, Galileo’s Telescope!

Was Galileo ultimately right?

Being right is a relative thing. No one illustrates this better than today’s celebrant: Galileo’s telescope, presented to the world on August 25, 1609. (more...)

August 25, 2020

August 25: Happy Birthday, Gutenberg Bible!

How the world changed on an August afternoon in 1456

In 1456, Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany, printed the first Bible with his new printing press using moveable type. In time, this led to an explosion of books and literacy and to the world as we know it today. (more...)

August 22, 2020

August 22: Happy Birthday, Geneva Conventions and Ray Bradbury!

If the Geneva Conventions didn’t exist, Ray Bradbury might have invented them.

August 22 marks the birthday of both the first Geneva Convention (1864) and science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) (more...)

August 21, 2020

August 21: Happy Birthday, Sergey Brin!

Are we allowed to be evil now?

Today marks the birthday of Sergey Brin of Google fame and the first public presentation of William Burroughs’ calculating machine in 1888. (more...)

August 20, 2020

August 20: Happy Birthday, H.P. Lovecraft!

Lovecraft (1890-1937), creator of ancient horror gods

August 20, 1890: Birthday of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. (more...)

April 5: Happy Birthday, Thomas Hobbes!

Can the government do whatever it wants?

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) created the Social Contract theory, which aims to explain how governments derive their power from the will of the citizens. (more...)

Category: Video

New Video Series: Western Ethics Theories

The Shortest Possible Overview

A new series of Daily Philosophy whiteboard explainer videos has just been published on YouTube. It gives a very short, and hopefully amusing, introduction to the main theories of Western ethics. (more...)

Category: Wisdom seekers

August 16, 2024

The Hermit of the Lonely Loch

Aspiring hermits have many motivations. Smith eloquently testifies to his reasons, some of them deeply personal. (more...)

November 28, 2023

The Universe as a Game

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (4)

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game is a grand vision of a formal system that describes the hidden harmony of the universe. (more...)

October 25, 2023

The Fabled East

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (3)

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game contains multiple references to Chinese philosophy and religion. We unpack Hesse’s orientalist utopia. (more...)

October 9, 2023

The Province of the Mind

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game (2)

At the centre of Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game is a grand vision of life in Castalia, a province of scholars. (more...)

October 2, 2023

Would a Society of Intellectuals Be a Better Place?

Hermann Hesse’s Glass Bead Game

Hermann Hesse’s ‘The Glass Bead Game’ may be his greatest novel. It combines a theory of history and education with Zen, and meditations on friendship and duty. (more...)

Freeing Yourself from Self-Consciousness

Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre on Being Authentic

We can change the way we perceive ourselves by a simple switch in our first-person perspective, argues author Brentyn J. Ramm, following Douglas Harding and Jean-Paul Sartre. (more...)

October 2, 2022

October 2: Happy Birthday, Mahatma Gandhi!

Last Friday was the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whom they called the Mahatma, the Great Soul. (more...)

Five Most Inspiring Philosophy Books

Life-changing wisdom for your summer reading list

Looking for a life-changing summer read? Here are Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five of the most inspiring books that everyone should know. (more...)

How to Recognise Pure Awareness

Douglas Harding and the Headless Way

What is pure awareness? Douglas Harding (1909-2007) proposed a series of simple but surprising experiments that one can perform to learn more about oneself as the subject of one’s own first person view. (more...)

December 20, 2021

Five More Inspiring Philosophy Books for Your Christmas

Our big Christmas gifts guide, part 2

Daily Philosophy’s recommendations for five more of the most inspiring books for your Christmas presents list. The best from Jill Taylor, John Stevens, Bill Porter, Eugen Herrigel and Aldous Huxley. With tips on whom to gift each book. (more...)

December 6, 2021

Nanavira Thera

The Hermit of Bundala

What is especially intriguing for students of eremitism is the intimate interplay of personal motives and philosophical commitments behind Nanavira’s decision to live alone. (more...)

December 4, 2021

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The two lives of a Stoic sage

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) was a celebrated Roman writer, public speaker and philosopher and is today seen (alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) as one of the three greatest ancient Stoics. (more...)

October 27, 2021

Three Modern Hermits

Following one’s own way

We visit three very different hermits: Agafia Lykova in remote Siberia, Mauro Morandi on a Mediterranean island paradise, and Lincolnshire nun Rachel Denton. What unites them and gives their lives meaning? (more...)

October 9, 2021

The Wisdom of the Dao

Main themes in the Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing is often not so different from other philosophies of its time. Acting according to nature, virtue as a skill, and the Daoist praise of humility are reminiscent of similar passages in the works of Stoics, Epicureans and Aristotle. (more...)

October 1, 2021

Robert Rodriguez on Hermits

Philosopher interviews

Robert Rodriguez is the author of The Book of Hermits and founder and editor of the website Hermitary. In this interview, he talks to us about the history of eremitism and the nature of hermit life. (more...)

September 27, 2021

Robert Rodriguez: The Book of Hermits

Robert Rodriguez’ “The Book of Hermits” is a work of impressive scholarship, covering the global history and lore of eremitism from antiquity to the present. (more...)

September 11, 2021

Going Slow

A rhetoric of slowness and speed has been used by philosophers since the ancient periods to characterise and assess different ways of life. (more...)

September 4, 2021

Huts, Homelessness and Heimat

Chōmei and Heidegger

For Heidegger, we let things be what they are. Chōmei, steeped in the Buddhist conception of the interdependence of everything, would concur. (more...)

August 28, 2021

The Hermit of Suwarrow

The adventures of Tom Neale (1902-1977)

Tom Neale spent a total of fourteen years alone on a little island in the Suwarrow Atoll in the South Pacific, where he found peace and happiness in solitude. We have a look at this extraordinary life. (more...)

August 21, 2021

One Hundred Days in a Hermit’s Hut

Jane Dobisz on living alone in the woods

In her honest and entertaining book “One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing Myself and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat,” Zen teacher Jane Dobisz recalls the three months she spent as a young person alone in a hut in the woods, bowing, chanting and meditating. (more...)

August 13, 2021

Hermits and Happiness

The long tradition of leaving it all behind

Hermits, from the Greek “eremites,” (=men of the desert), are found in all cultures and at all times. In this article, we look at the phenomenon of hermit life as a whole, before we go into more detail in future posts in this series. (more...)

The Rhetoric of Refuge

On the wish to retreat from the world

The rhetoric or metaphor of refuge from the world has largely disappeared from religious, social and ethical debate. The contrast with the past is striking. (more...)

Aldous Huxley’s “Island”

An even braver new world?

The last book of visionary writer Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Island, is a bold attempt to envision a utopian society that provides its members with everything they need to achieve happiness in life. (more...)

How Much Money Do We Need?

The long tradition of finding joy outside of consumerism

From Diogenes and Epicurus to Erich Fromm there is a long tradition suggesting that we might be happier with fewer material goods. (more...)

February 14, 2021

Bertrand Russell on How to Find Happiness

The Conquest of Happiness

In “The Conquest of Happiness”, Russell argues that what makes us happy is an active life, directed by a deep and sustained interest in the world. (more...)

February 9, 2021

The Conquest of Unhappiness

Bertrand Russell proposes happiness as an antidote to envy. Someone who is happy will be content with what they have and will not be looking to compare themselves with others. (more...)

February 8, 2021

The Conquest of Happiness and Why It Matters Today

Bertrand Russell on how to be happy

Bertrand Russell’s book ‘The Conquest of Happiness’ (1930) attempts to analyse the conditions for happiness in our modern world, focusing on the different mindsets of the unhappy and the happy person. (more...)

December 29, 2020

One Year, Six Ways: A Philosophical Experiment

Daily Philosophy has an idea for this year’s resolution: live your life like a philosopher. Come along to the One Year, Six Ways project! (more...)

December 22, 2020

Plato and Christianity

Perfection, theosophy and organic hand-creams

Plato’s ideas about the eternal world of perfect Forms provided a template upon which Christian philosophers could build their vision of the eternal, transcendent realm of God. (more...)

December 15, 2020

Novalis and the Romantic View of the World

From the Romantics to modern science

German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)

November 10, 2020

St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex

The real cost of pure pleasure

For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)

September 26, 2020

September 26: Happy Birthday, Martin Heidegger!

September 26: Martin Heidegger’s Birthday (1889-1976) (more...)

Category: Women

Women Philosophers Throughout History

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Women philosophers: Gargi Vachaknavi, Aspasia, Ban Zhao, Hypatia of Alexandria, Rabia al-Adawiyya, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Nana Asma’u. (more...)

The Princess and the Soul

Elisabeth of Bohemia and Rene Descartes

Descartes admired her intelligence and Leibniz stood at her deathbed, but during most of her life, she was a penniless refugee. Meet Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia. (more...)

December 27, 2021

Who is the Father (or Mother) of Philosophy?

Diotima, Socrates, Plato, Aspasia of Miletus, Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Zi are the most influential figures within their respective traditions. (more...)

August 26, 2020

August 26: Happy Birthday, Mother Teresa!

Being good doesn’t mean that one has to be perfect.

Mother Teresa, born August 26, was a divisive Saint who devoted her life to the care of the poorest in Calcutta, India. (more...)