When it comes to clutter are you more like Michael D Higgins or minimalist Marie Kondo?
Unthinkable: Preserving only that which is joyful is philosophically problematic
Smartphones are an easy scapegoat for a more profound unhappiness
Children are led to believe ‘that their worth is tied to proving that they are exceptional’
Lessons in philosophy from Sally Rooney’s latest novel that can help us make sense of the world
Unthinkable: The ideas of Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein on language and reality surface in Intermezzo, and the relationship between the two philosophers mirrors that of Rooney’s two principal characters, brothers Peter and Ivan
‘On the ninth day of Christmas, Nietzsche said with glee: sever links with your family’
Unthinkable: For the seasan that’s in it, we’ve gone for a philosophical Christmas carol
Find your ‘inner mystic’: Is this the answer to modern melancholy?
Unthinkable: English philosopher and author Simon Critchley suggests we can learn to enjoy ‘idiot glee’ from medieval Christianity
This column is not for cynics: In praise of political innocence
Unthinkable: Was the general election a victory for ‘grown ups’ or a defeat for idealism?
‘It’s cool’ isn’t a good reason for scientists to develop harmful technologies
Unthinkable: Regulating generative AI is important in its own right, but it’s also a dummy run for the existential threat of artificial general intelligence. This will go beyond mimicking human intelligence to conquering it
Mary Lou’s eyeroll and the ‘Simon stare’: The body language in TV leaders’ debate
A behavioural psychologist analyses what was said without words in Tuesday night’s showdown
A philosophical guide to voting: Three big issues to think about
Unthinkable: In the case of voting, the critical question is not the “mom litmus test” but the “child, or future citizen, litmus test”
We are united by common urges: Freedom. Justice. The need to go to the toilet
Unthinkable: Looking for the meaning of life? You may be sitting on the answer
Enoch Burke is someone I’d like to hug
Unthinkable: Ahead of International Men’s Day, it’s clear many young men are not in a happy place
Should it bother you if you’re not as rich as your neighbour?
Five arguments can be put forward in defence of economic inequality
‘God doesn’t make mistakes. If I was trans, it was because I was meant to be’
Unthinkable: Philosopher and author Sophie Grace Chappell believes ideology is the wrong starting point for public discussion
Some people believe animals should have political representation. But which animals?
Unthinkable: Should pigs have a voice but not ants? Should XL Bully dogs have a voice on whether or not they should be banned?
Why ‘they’re eating the dogs’ was a stroke of political genius by Trump
Unthinkable: Politicians who tell lies have an advantage because of what psychologists call the ‘false consensus effect’