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...) December 2, 2023 Ian James Kidd Transhumanism and Misanthropy Humans are constitutively incapable of virtuous forms of life. Posthumans, of course, can aspire to much 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...) 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 17, 2023 Annalisa Koukouves 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 James Barham 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 Andreas Matthias 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 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 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 13, 2023 Brad Rappaport 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...) 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 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...) 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...) August 19, 2023 David Charles 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 B.V.E. Hyde 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...) August 6, 2023 Ian James Kidd 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...) July 29, 2023 John Shand 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...) July 22, 2023 Brian Redekopp The Chatbot A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence. (more...) July 14, 2023 John Shand Ineffable Understanding Seemingly intractable paradoxes involved in speaking of the ineffable are based on a mistake. (more...) July 9, 2023 Andreas Matthias Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals Book review Josh Milburn’s “Just Fodder” is a very thoughtful and rigorous analysis of the ethical issues related to feeding animals. (more...) July 1, 2023 Gregory Harms 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...) «« « 1 2 3 4 5 » »»
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...)
December 2, 2023 Ian James Kidd Transhumanism and Misanthropy Humans are constitutively incapable of virtuous forms of life. Posthumans, of course, can aspire to much 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...)
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 17, 2023 Annalisa Koukouves 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 James Barham 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 Andreas Matthias 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 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 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 13, 2023 Brad Rappaport 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...)
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 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...)
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...)
August 19, 2023 David Charles 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 B.V.E. Hyde 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...)
August 6, 2023 Ian James Kidd 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...)
July 29, 2023 John Shand 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...)
July 22, 2023 Brian Redekopp The Chatbot A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence A Dialogue between Socrates and ChatGPT on Intelligence. (more...)
July 14, 2023 John Shand Ineffable Understanding Seemingly intractable paradoxes involved in speaking of the ineffable are based on a mistake. (more...)
July 9, 2023 Andreas Matthias Just Fodder. The Ethics of Feeding Animals Book review Josh Milburn’s “Just Fodder” is a very thoughtful and rigorous analysis of the ethical issues related to feeding animals. (more...)
July 1, 2023 Gregory Harms 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...)