I’ve Been Thinking by Daniel C Dennett, and Free Agents by Kevin J Mitchell: From fun academic infighting to slinky human agencyOne of the Four Horsemen of Atheism gets back in the saddle; while Trinity neuroscientist Mitchell has written a highly original bookTue Oct 17 2023 - 05:00
The rise of bulls**t in public life: Why do we comment on things we know nothing about?The first 24 hours after Hamas’s attack on Israel produced probably the worst 24 hours ever on social mediaMon Oct 16 2023 - 06:00
Positivity can be toxic. Depressive realism might make you happierSome think reality is actually terrifying, and depression is an appropriate reaction to itMon Oct 09 2023 - 05:00
Elon Musk may be champion of free speech but he draws line at free thoughtUnthinkable: If we focus less on freedom of speech and more on freedom of thought it takes emphasis off making demands on others – via silencing or platforming – and places it instead on knowing ourselvesMon Oct 02 2023 - 06:00
This philosopher foresaw the biggest problem with AI. Now he’s sounding another warningUnthinkable: Things happen every day for which no one is held responsible and artificial intelligence is set to make things worseMon Sept 25 2023 - 06:00
How to ‘die well’ in today’s Ireland: It starts with living a good lifeUnthinkable: Is it time to revive the tradition of ‘ars moriendi’ - the arts of dying?Mon Sept 18 2023 - 06:00
Sinéad O’Connor’s warning about online pile-ons was prophetic in more ways than oneA tradition of linking historical progress to spiritual growth might not be fashionable, but O'Connor deeply understood its meritMon Sept 11 2023 - 06:00
How did the hate speech Bill find itself at the centre of a swirling culture war?Irrespective of whether the Bill makes it into law, individuals and organisations in Irish society must a find a way of being kind while robustly defending free speechMon Aug 07 2023 - 06:30
Is Sam Altman, the ‘father of ChatGPT’, the most important thinker in the world right now?Unthinkable: Artificial intelligence can replace humans in many tasks but don’t discount your own sense of wonderThu Jun 29 2023 - 05:00
Think what’s going on in the gig economy has nothing to do with you? Think againUnthinkable: More and more of us are working for algorithms – and losing some of our rights in the process, says UCD researcher Dr Lorenzo CiniThu Jun 22 2023 - 05:05
Is postmodernism to blame for our society losing its way?Unthinkable: Postmodernists can be found on the left and the right but are united in rejecting the Enlightenment projectThu Jun 15 2023 - 05:00
How Not to Kill Yourself: Portrait of a Suicidal Mind – a source of support and consolationClancy Martin’s excruciatingly honest treatment of the subject makes for a difficult readSat Jun 10 2023 - 05:00
Lessons for the Catholic Church from Census 2023 – get out of schools, chase the lost sheep Unthinkable: Why do almost 70% of the Irish population still identify as Catholic? Where exactly can they be found?Thu Jun 08 2023 - 05:05
Have I got your attention? Seven ways to tell if someone is really listening to youUnthinkable: We may be losing our ability to hear one another. Gerry Dunne, a philosopher who is studying the components of good listening, can helpThu Jun 01 2023 - 05:05
Feeling lost? You’re not alone. But there are ways we can all feel less disorientatedUnthinkable: AI, global warming, war and the pandemic have combined to dizzying effect. There’s no magic elixir – but there are things we can doThu May 25 2023 - 05:05
Lessons for liberals now that it’s their turn to be cancelledUnthinkable: The culture wars are creating new ideological divisions and alliances. Is there a path to peace?Thu May 18 2023 - 05:15
‘Adolf Hitler made the lives of millions of people much worse – but not the life of this author’Unthinkable: The cult-hero philosopher Derek Parfit can ‘discombobulate’ your settled views with his intricate, highly original thoughtThu May 11 2023 - 05:00
Why ‘great man theory’ is a bad idea – even for menUnthinkable: What would our world look like if we listened more to female philosophers?Thu May 04 2023 - 06:39
Should Irish universities introduce mandatory free speech classes?Unthinkable: Defending academic freedom is hindered by confusion about what exactly we are trying to protectThu Apr 27 2023 - 04:30
Is it inherently wrong to be a landlord?Unthinkable: Extracting rent from assets has moved from being ‘marginal’ part of capitalism to a core featureThu Apr 20 2023 - 05:05
How do we gauge how big a mess we’re in? Turn to a historianUnthinkable: Ellie Payne, TCD historian and History of the Future podcast host, makes the case for being glass-half-fullThu Apr 13 2023 - 05:05
Teenage anxiety and smartphones: Is the answer to ban social media?Unthinkable: Evidence linking social media use to depression continues to mount but experts disagree on how best to respondThu Apr 06 2023 - 05:05
If you were in Zelenskiy’s shoes, would you have fled your country?Unthinkable: War in Ukraine has exposed the shallowness of some conceptions of freedom, which crumble when faced with harsh realityThu Mar 30 2023 - 05:05
The Enoch Burke saga and the limits of civil disobedienceUnthinkable: The teacher claims he is being punished for his Christian beliefs, but do acts based on religious conviction merit greater moral weight?Thu Mar 23 2023 - 05:05
How ‘the father of capitalism’ foresaw the rise of Andrew TateUnthinkable: Adam Smith is associated with liberal economic thought, but at heart he was a ‘phenomenal observer of human life’Thu Mar 16 2023 - 05:00
The Banshees of Inisherin: Why one unconvincing detail could spoil the film for youUnthinkable: Is Jenny the donkey believable? Laws of literary criticism invented by Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago can still be applied todayThu Mar 09 2023 - 05:15
Should we really give conspiracy theories more space?Unthinkable: Looking at ‘both sides’ of a story can seem outdated at a time of threats to democracy and the challenge of climate changeThu Mar 02 2023 - 06:00
Are we being spied on? ‘I would recommend suspicion of all countries, including our own’Unthinkable: Citizens should be encouraged ‘to be critical of the news’, says historian Peter Burke, author of Ignorance: A Global HistoryThu Feb 23 2023 - 05:00
How many referendums is too many?Unthinkable: The Constitution is relatively easy to change and that, says TCD’s Prof Aileen Kavanagh, is more a strength than a weaknessThu Feb 16 2023 - 05:00
It’s good to have notions: Why the Irish culture of humility fails the psychology testUnthinkable: People who refuse to accept praise are at higher risk of depression, according to the Irish psychologist Geoff BeattieThu Feb 09 2023 - 05:00
Debate over 16-man Kilmacud is about more than a trophy. The future of moral reasoning is at stakeUnthinkable: Stand-off over ‘fairness’ is emblematic of many disputes in society todayThu Feb 02 2023 - 05:00
ChatGPT is creepily smart, weirdly chummy and a window to your ‘extended mind’Unthinkable: AI won’t need to defend against a kill switch – you are its defenceThu Jan 26 2023 - 05:00
What happens when morally iffy work becomes part of your job?Unthinkable: Moral distress is a workplace problem we ignore at our perilThu Jan 19 2023 - 05:00
How Sartre’s theory of ‘self’ can explain all of humanity - even Elon MuskUnthinkable: The French philosopher believed it is possible to know everything there is to know about another personThu Jan 12 2023 - 05:00
Is identity politics the answer to racism?Unthinkable: Writer Kenan Malik has produced a thought-provoking ‘retelling of the story of race’Thu Jan 05 2023 - 05:00
Landmark philosophy debate has an answer - 74 years laterUnthinkable: A novel theory of natural types may provide the key to Yuletide peaceThu Dec 22 2022 - 05:00
Are you living a ‘provisional life’? Time to get stuck in!Unthinkable: You wait for one book to answer ‘the meaning of life’ and then three come along at onceThu Dec 15 2022 - 05:05
Does ‘it’ feel pain? How a pronoun can desensitize us in our attitude to animalsUnthinkable: A new book on animal dreams pushes us to rethink their moral statusThu Dec 08 2022 - 05:00
Is it ethical to stay on Twitter now Elon Musk is in charge?Unthinkable: Each week sees new departures from the social media platform. Have you a moral obligation to join them?Thu Dec 01 2022 - 05:05
Why Socrates would go for a plant-based diet, and other insights into the philosophy of foodUnthinkable: Chasing maximum pleasure is counterproductive for the individual and the wider worldThu Nov 24 2022 - 05:05
Climate defeatism: If we are already doomed, why bother?Unthinkable: Political theorist Catriona McKinnon has a message for those feeling fatalistic about climate changeThu Nov 17 2022 - 05:05
What would a ‘just exit’ to war in Ukraine look like?Is there a 'just exit' to the war in Ukraine and could tactical pacifism play a role?Thu Nov 10 2022 - 05:00
Why free speech is more complicated than Elon Musk makes outUnthinkable: Familiarising ourselves with different arguments on whether to regulate speech can help us to find a compromiseThu Nov 03 2022 - 05:00
Put down your phone, get to know your neighbours, and other ways to become less anxiousUnthinkable: The psychoanalyst and author Stephen Grosz says that human contact is more important than ever – and that stories are a good way inThu Oct 27 2022 - 05:00
Could anybody have changed Liz Truss’s mind? Not according to this ethics expertUnthinkable: Virtue becomes more central to your nature the more you practise it, according to philosophers and psychologistsThu Oct 20 2022 - 05:05
The good side of Twitter: ‘It punishes taking yourself too seriously’Unthinkable: Philosopher Liam Kofi Bright sees pluses and minuses with the social media platformThu Oct 13 2022 - 05:05
‘The past is never past’: Ireland’s history of political violence, and how to deal with itUnthinkable: Author and academic Michael Ignatieff is in Dublin this week exploring how revolutionary history ‘can be used to tip over the democratic wagon’Thu Oct 06 2022 - 05:05
Pope Francis vs Jordan Peterson: two types of self-helpUnthinkable: The pontiff’s new book arrives into a crowded market in which Canadian academic Peterson has become a prominent voiceThu Sept 29 2022 - 05:15
Stuff happens, or does it? The puzzle of causationUnthinkable: Delving into the nature of causes means trying to answer some weird questionsThu Sept 22 2022 - 05:15
How to talk to other people: Just remember your stupid opinion isn’t 100% of who you areUnthinkable: BBC radio presenter Nihal Arthanayake is on a mission to create better conversationsThu Sept 15 2022 - 05:15
