How can I distinguish between my needs and wants?Unthinkable: Economist and philosopher Adam Smith encourages us to reflect on ‘how much is enough’Thu Sept 19 2019 - 21:08
Why there will never be a cure for irrationalityUnthinkable: Justin E H Smith discusses technological utopianism, Slavoj Zizek and the role of comedy in philosophyThu Sept 12 2019 - 12:46
Richard Dawkins: ‘Brexit is now a religion. They don’t mind if they destroy the country’The atheist biologist has written a new book about God but what really worries him is closer to homeWed Sept 11 2019 - 06:00
When is it okay to shame another person?Unthinkable: Shame has a ‘Newtonian force’ for good or bad, says Prof Sally R MuntThu Sept 05 2019 - 05:00
Philosophy in the classroom? You Kant be seriousKids can handle Plato, not just playdough: So argue two new documentaries on TV and radioMon Sept 02 2019 - 17:03
Why does time fly? Maybe you’re not paying enough attentionUnthinkable: There are number of plausible theories of time, says Sean Enda PowerThu Aug 29 2019 - 17:42
Lies, bullsh*t and knowledge resistance: A spotter’s guideAmid growing interest in the ‘science of irrationality’, The Irish Times provides an A-Z of common intellectual trapsWed Aug 21 2019 - 05:45
Has mindfulness become just another wing of capitalism?Unthinkable: Ronald E Purser warns against the rise of ethically neutral and self-absorbed spiritual practisesThu Jul 11 2019 - 05:00
Ireland can manage without the church but can it do without myths?Unthinkable: Mark Patrick Hederman makes the case for promoting ‘mythic intelligence’Thu Jul 04 2019 - 11:33
Why humans need mercy more than justice to surviveUnthinkable: When the robots take over you’d better hope they’re merciful, says author Malcolm BullThu Jun 27 2019 - 05:00
The History of Philosophy: AC Grayling’s insightful but blinkered viewReview: AC Grayling is a superb communicator of complex concepts but there are absent voices: women and Irish philosophers for startersTue Jun 25 2019 - 06:00
Should children be taught to be patriotic?Unthinkable: There is merit in a virtuous patriotism but it can't be instilled through trickery or threats, says Randall CurrenThu Jun 20 2019 - 13:15
The greatest Irish thinker you’ve never read? It could be this manUnthinkable: The Kerry ‘eco-poet’ John Moriarty illuminates a better way for humanity, says Michael W HigginsThu Jun 13 2019 - 12:59
Can’t get Netflix? You may be suffering an aesthetic injusticeUnthinkable: Lack of cultural access is a serious wrong, says philosopher Rachel FraserThu Jun 06 2019 - 05:00
Why you can’t be angry and rational at the same timeUnthinkable: The Stoic philosopher Seneca debunked the idea of ‘righteous anger’, his translator explainsThu May 30 2019 - 05:00
Is virtue ethics making a comeback, 2,400 years after Aristotle?Unthinkable: We must find ‘middle way’, says Ireland’s new young philosopher of the yearThu May 23 2019 - 05:00
Why be good when it seems like nasty guys finish first?Unthinkable: Liars and cheats cannot ultimately fool themselves, says philosopher Vittorio BufacchiFri May 17 2019 - 13:13
Why the world needs Iris Murdoch’s philosophy of ‘unselfing’Centenary of author’s birth in Dublin is being used as an occasion to reclaim her moral visionThu May 16 2019 - 05:00
You don’t exist just ‘to be useful’, President tells young philosophersLauren Doyle (16) receives this year’s Irish Young Philosopher Award from Michael D HigginsWed May 15 2019 - 18:49
Can a novel also be a work of philosophy?Unthinkable: Literature allows us capture ‘weirdness’ of life, says Matthew McKeeverThu May 09 2019 - 05:00
Paul Mason: The manifesto of a Marxist snowflakeResist the ‘mass folk religion of fatalism’, says the former Newsnight economics editorTue May 07 2019 - 05:00
Fears grow in Sri Lanka for refugees targeted by mob violenceMore than 1,000 refugees, mainly Ahmadi Muslims from Pakistan, under police protectionSun Apr 28 2019 - 17:48
Do male and female brains differ? A philosophical responseThere’s nothing in science that disproves the existence of free will, say Helen Beebee and Michael RushThu Apr 25 2019 - 05:00
Is technology to blame for spread of ‘unjoined-up thinking’?Social media ‘invites us to be so many people at once’, says UCC academic Fiachra LongThu Apr 18 2019 - 08:37
David Brooks: ‘Comments are so much more vicious than even 10 years ago’The New York Times columnist can aggravate diehard liberals but his latest book merits a fair hearingWed Apr 17 2019 - 06:30
Rethinking stereotypes about science and the artsUnthinkable: Prof Tom McLeish identifies eight stages of creation common to disciplines as diverse as painting and biologyTue Apr 16 2019 - 10:31
Is morality just a matter of following your deepest desires?Unthinkable: Most of us have a longing to ‘do the right thing’, says Lizzy VenthamTue Apr 02 2019 - 05:00
‘Take back control’: why the Brexit slogan resonates across EuropeUnthinkable: People want ‘sovereignty’ over their lives, says philosopher Michele NicolettiTue Mar 19 2019 - 00:01
Intellectual vices, from Brexit to the Birmingham SixUnthinkable: The Leave campaign was unconcerned about truth but Remainers showed ‘naivety and arrogance’, says philosopher Quassim CassamTue Mar 05 2019 - 01:30
Ireland does philosophy: A new guide for the perplexedUnthinkable: A philosophy book designed for younger readers takes inspiration from Kerry sage John MoriartyTue Feb 19 2019 - 01:30
How to find your inner Zen BuddhistUnthinkable: ‘A love of mystery is deeply embedded in the Irish psyche,’ says the author of a new translation of eastern wisdom storiesTue Feb 05 2019 - 14:41
Living in the now: It’s not as simple as you’d thinkScience suggests the present has ‘no particular significance’ above the past or the future?Tue Jan 22 2019 - 09:50
In despair over climate change? Try ‘active hope’Unthinkable: Less focus on outcomes can help to counter pessimismTue Jan 08 2019 - 05:00
Are humans losing the ability to be idle?Unthinkable: A new book on dossing and daydreaming seeks to challenge our traditional work ethicTue Dec 11 2018 - 13:32
Is religion better than atheism as a coping mechanism?Unthinkable: Secular philosophies ‘lack the melodrama of religion’, says Stephen AsmaTue Nov 27 2018 - 05:00
What can the West learn from the rest?Unthinkable: Borrowing foreign ideas can expand our thinking, says Julian BagginiTue Nov 13 2018 - 05:00
Is economics corrupting our idea of human worth?Unthinkable: Pro-choice author Chris Kaposy warns of ‘elimination of people with Down syndrome’Tue Oct 30 2018 - 10:33
Is it time to cut back on criticism?Unthinkable: An ‘arms race’ of critique is hindering social progress, argues sociologist Tom BolandTue Oct 16 2018 - 05:00
August 6th, 1945: The day ‘western civilisation’ came to an endUnthinkable: We’re at a point in history ‘between two civilisations’, argues Desmond FennellTue Oct 02 2018 - 05:00
A ‘third way’ of looking at religionUnthinkable: Two dead philosophers could provide the key to a more mature debate on faithTue Sept 18 2018 - 01:00
Out of My Head review: Finding out what makes ‘you’ youTim Parks grapples with one of life’s big questions: what is consciousness?Sat Jul 28 2018 - 05:00
Catholic Church teaching on homosexuality ‘evil’, McAleese saysFormer president to march with son and husband in Dublin Pride event on SaturdayFri Jun 29 2018 - 20:50
Meet Ireland’s young philosopher of the yearUnthinkable: The Irish Young Philosopher Awards hopes to become as big as the Young Scientist exhibitionTue Jun 05 2018 - 09:16
Is fighting in our genes? A biological theory of warfareUnthinkable: ‘Humans fight to achieve status and belonging,’ says former soldier Mike MartinTue May 29 2018 - 05:00
Was Ireland’s most prominent philosopher ‘too womanly’?Unthinkable: The Irish statesman Edmund Burke was a victim of reverse sexismTue May 22 2018 - 06:00
How do we create the right ‘environment’ for public debate?Unthinkable: Knowledge is an ‘epistemic good’ to which everyone should have accessTue May 15 2018 - 06:00
Would lowering voting age justify being tougher on under 18s?Unthinkable: Children who commit crimes deserve leniency only because they can’t vote, US academic arguesTue May 08 2018 - 06:00
Karl Marx at 200: What did he get right?Unthinkable: ‘Freedom was Marx’s central concern,’ says philosopher Peter SingerTue May 01 2018 - 06:00
Seven Types of Atheism by John Gray review: entertaining but troublingGray highlights the rich potential within atheism for good or evil – though he also attacks many forms of itSat Apr 28 2018 - 06:00
Is there a right to life? (You mightn’t like the answer)Unthinkable: There’s ‘a systematic ambiguity’ at the heart of human rights, TCD professor John Dillon saysTue Apr 24 2018 - 09:32
