Nigel Warburton
11 December 2024
How to stop brain rot
Oxford University Press’s word of the year suggests social media has become a drug-like distraction from the world
Read the full article04 December 2024
Has Notre Dame lost too much?
The success of Notre Dame's comeback depends on whether we view it as an architectural gem or a functional religious building
Read the full article27 November 2024
James Beattie and his timeless cello
The forgotten Scottish philosopher’s legacy resurfaced last week when his historic cello was played for the first time in 220 years
Read the full article20 November 2024
How to believe in politics
It is time to dispel disbelief and face the grim reality that is unfolding
Read the full article13 November 2024
Ayn Rand's part in Donald Trump's victory
If Trump sees himself as a Randian hero, expect nothing but indifferent self-interest for the next four years
Read the full article07 November 2024
Everyday Philosophy: The Peter Singer chatbot
The philosoper’s ethical legacy lives on in the form of a bot – but its hectoring, evangelical tone means it is far from convincing
Read the full article30 October 2024
Can you stop the flow of time?
According to Henri Bergson, everything is flux and that's difficult to capture in words
Read the full article23 October 2024
Plato's warning to American democracy
Even if the US doesn’t slide towards tyranny on November 5, almost half the electorate are going to end up disgruntled
Read the full article09 October 2024
Melania Trump and the right to choose
Is her forthcoming memoir’s defence of abortion an indication that Republicans won’t be so hardline on this issue if elected?
Read the full article02 October 2024
Tradition shouldn't outweigh animal cruelty
Arguments for trail hunting merely come from wishful thinking motivated by a romanticised view of country life
Read the full article25 September 2024
For philosophers, everyone's a critic
Some thinkers treat critical thinking as a martial art, wanting to win the argument at any cost
Read the full article18 September 2024
Michel de Montaigne, Donald Trump and the problem of cats
Cats, Montaigne would've been relieved to know, are not on the menu in Springfield
Read the full article11 September 2024
We can't avoid autumn
If you’re lucky, it can be the most beautiful season of all
Read the full article04 September 2024
The philosophy behind Starmer's smoking ban
Many of us are hoping the prime minister's policy doesn't stray from pragmatic to heavy-handed
Read the full article28 August 2024
On Alain Delon's dog
In somewhat grandiose fashion, the film star imagined his dog Loubo couldn’t continue to flourish in a world that no longer included him
Read the full article21 August 2024
Everyday philosophy: Could Elon Musk learn from Stonehenge?
In 5,000 years’ time, will people marvel at the accomplishments achieved today?
Read the full article07 August 2024
Can we solve the problem of evil?
Is free will worth the price of unspeakable acts of violence?
Read the full article31 July 2024
Do chatbots deserve moral rights?
The time may come where they’re viewed as fellow workers, treated with respect and consideration
Read the full article24 July 2024
Here comes a paradigm shift
American philosopher Thomas Kuhn's controversial thinking turned normal science on its head
Read the full article17 July 2024
How to know when to step down
The disappointing reality is that the American people won’t vote Joe Biden back into office – not being Trump won’t be enough
Read the full article10 July 2024
Who is the father of modern conservatism?
If the remnants of the Conservative Party are searching for inspiration, they should not look to Edmund Burke
Read the full article03 July 2024
What is the point of prison?
For philosopher Tommie Shelby, Labour’s commitment to building more prisons is a sign of failure, short-termism, and nothing to celebrate
Read the full article26 June 2024
Everyday Philosophy: Professional fouls and ethical dilemmas
The epidemic of cynical tackles at the Euros evokes Søren Kierkegaard’s concept of the ‘teleological suspension of the ethical’
Read the full article19 June 2024
Everyday Philosophy: Jean-Paul Sartre’s Bad Faith
The philosopher’s observations of a Parisian waiter carrying out his job like an automaton led him to define a psychological phenomenon
Read the full article12 June 2024
Rishi Sunak and his £2000 lie
The more the prime minister lies, the more cynical voters become over the state of the country
Read the full article05 June 2024
Suicide is more than self-destruction
Making sense of suicide is complex, which is why the classicist Edith Hall turns to ancient Greece to do so
Read the full article29 May 2024
Is God a human construction?
For the philosopher Don Cupitt, God is the ideal we plan our lives around
Read the full article22 May 2024
Everyday philosophy: Bertrand Russell would’ve hated the Tories’ sex education guidance
Banning talk of sex from classrooms contradicts the openness and love of learning the philosopher strived for
Read the full article15 May 2024
Eurovision is not beyond politics
The question of whether Israel's Eden Golan should have been allowed to perform plagued this year's competition
Read the full article08 May 2024
What can Plato's last words tell us?
Plato addressed many of the questions that have been at the centre of discussion for almost 2,500 years
Read the full article01 May 2024
Can we justify paternalism?
For children and vulnerable adults, some level of state-enforced restriction can be benign
Read the full article24 April 2024
Everyday philosophy: An ode to Daniel Dennett
It’s not just through his writing that this important thinker will exert an influence long after his death
Read the full article