Overconfidence is our enemy. A lesson from ancient Greece can be repurposed today

Whatever the situation, you have the power to fold your arms across your chest and say: I’m not going along with this

Ireland’s contribution to philosophy tends to get overlooked amid patronising commentary about the ‘Celtic soul’

Technology, capitalism and democracy itself seem to be accelerating short-term thinking

Left-wing parties lack unity on environmental policy as the interests of humans are put ahead of the interests of nature

Let’s applaud those Parkrun flâneurs in tatty, 10-year-old trainers

Fatalism can be an effective coping mechanism but it’s not good for the world

US academic Cass Sunstein, who is visiting Dublin this month, reminds us that college campuses ‘need offensive speech’

Catholics are not being persecuted in Ireland but Christian teaching is being ignored - and that’s a pity

Author’s speech 80 years ago, on how ideology is used to excuse or celebrate death, feels suddenly current

A warning to pessimists: This column is ‘a no-moan zone’

Unthinkable: Committing publicly to a moral standpoint can change you for the better, or the worse

Unthinkable: The voice of the Catholic Church in Irish education should be commended for raising the question of ‘purpose’

Unthinkable: Some tips for anyone who feels their thoughts are being polluted by their smartphone, a mad king or even an overbearing parent

Dropping ‘risky’ ideas from the curriculum is bad for students