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...)

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

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...)

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

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...)

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

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...)

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...)

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

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

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

Edward’s decision was, for the rest of his life, never to spend more than one night in any given place. (more...)

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

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

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

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...)

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...)

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...)

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

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

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...)