philosophy
Moral dilemmas reveal the limitations of ethical principles. Oddly, the most principled belief system might not have any principles at all.
Realism in science cannot be completely unmoored from human experience. Otherwise, realism ends up tortured with unreal paradoxes.
When was the last time you spent some quality time with yourself?
Many atheists think of themselves as intellectually gifted individuals, guiding humanity on the path of reason. Scientific data shows otherwise.
According to Tolkien, fantasy requires a deep imagination known as “sub-creation.” And the genre reflects a fundamental truth of being human.
If we are wreaking havoc on ourselves and the world, it is because we have become mesmerized by a mechanistic, reductionist way of thinking.
Will all robots think like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg?
There is much more to the Kama Sutra than just sex. It’s a guide to anyone wanting more pleasure in life, however they take it.
Many people perceive the struggle to understand our Universe as a battle between science and God. But this is a false dichotomy.
Wander into the deep recesses of the mind and never return the same with these existentialist books.
From Brahms to Tchaikovsky, here’s a curated list of composers whose music has shaped the classical canon.
It’s possible to measure philosophy’s progress in two ways. But is that really the point?
The relationship between these two ways of thinking about the world deserves deeper exploration.
The attitude we take to Will Smith’s slap will mirror our attitudes to violence, masculinity, and protecting others more generally.
By toppling medieval Europe’s mightiest political power, the Protestant Reformation ushered in a new age of freedom, religious and otherwise.
Modern applications of Stoicism show up in unexpected places, from the latest techniques in psychotherapy to texts on Christian theology.
Science and the humanities have been antagonistic for too long. Many of the big questions of our time require them to work closer than ever.
We imagine and debate the inner lives of literary characters, knowing there can be no truth about their real motives or beliefs. Could our own inner lives also be works of fiction?
Outrage is a useful emotion that helped our ancient ancestors survive. Today, it leaves us feeling angry, tired, powerless, and miserable.
Nostalgia is a happy remembrance of the past, yet it also leaves us feeling sad. Perhaps ironically, it can serve as a painkiller.
A growing body of research shows that religious people seem to enjoy more psychological well-being compared to others.
Like witchcraft, “racecraft” refers to a kind of magical thinking — one that treats race as if it were scientifically meaningful.
From a desert oasis to the Rocky Mountains, being filled with awe makes me a better scientist.
We cannot deduce laws about a higher level of complexity by starting with a lower level of complexity. Here, reductionism meets a brick wall.
The very concept of a “problem with no solution” goes against human nature. But we must accept this harsh reality to have peace in our lives.
Think therapy is self-centered? Think again.
Socrates lived during a time when people did not strive to separate fact from fiction. So how much of what we know about Socrates is true?
Online Shinto communities have existed since the birth of the internet as we know it.
A lot of research assumes happiness is measured by comfort and material conditions. For Aristotle, it is about being the best we can be.
In theory, history is the sum of everything that ever happened; in practice, it’s a story we tell ourselves to make sense of and justify our actions in the present.