Philosophy

Oxford University Press’s word of the year suggests social media has become a drug-like distraction from the world

The forgotten Scottish philosopher’s legacy resurfaced last week when his historic cello was played for the first time in 220 years

It is time to dispel disbelief and face the grim reality that is unfolding

If Trump sees himself as a Randian hero, expect nothing but indifferent self-interest for the next four years

The philosoper’s ethical legacy lives on in the form of a bot – but its hectoring, evangelical tone means it is far from convincing

According to Henri Bergson, everything is flux and that's difficult to capture in words

Even if the US doesn’t slide towards tyranny on November 5, almost half the electorate are going to end up disgruntled

Is her forthcoming memoir’s defence of abortion an indication that Republicans won’t be so hardline on this issue if elected?

Arguments for trail hunting merely come from wishful thinking motivated by a romanticised view of country life

Some thinkers treat critical thinking as a martial art, wanting to win the argument at any cost

Where is Han Solo when you need him?

Cats, Montaigne would've been relieved to know, are not on the menu in Springfield

If you’re lucky, it can be the most beautiful season of all

Many of us are hoping the prime minister's policy doesn't stray from pragmatic to heavy-handed

In somewhat grandiose fashion, the film star imagined his dog Loubo couldn’t continue to flourish in a world that no longer included him

The exploration of genetic modification for space travel raises ethical questions about altering human biology

In 5,000 years’ time, will people marvel at the accomplishments achieved today?

Is free will worth the price of unspeakable acts of violence?

The time may come where they’re viewed as fellow workers, treated with respect and consideration

A revised English version of the psychoanalyst’s texts reveals a tirade against Americans – but also a suggestion that he may have studied the president himself

American philosopher Thomas Kuhn's controversial thinking turned normal science on its head

The disappointing reality is that the American people won’t vote Joe Biden back into office – not being Trump won’t be enough

If the remnants of the Conservative Party are searching for inspiration, they should not look to Edmund Burke

For philosopher Tommie Shelby, Labour’s commitment to building more prisons is a sign of failure, short-termism, and nothing to celebrate

The epidemic of cynical tackles at the Euros evokes Søren Kierkegaard’s concept of the ‘teleological suspension of the ethical’

The philosopher’s observations of a Parisian waiter carrying out his job like an automaton led him to define a psychological phenomenon

Making sense of suicide is complex, which is why the classicist Edith Hall turns to ancient Greece to do so

For the philosopher Don Cupitt, God is the ideal we plan our lives around

Banning talk of sex from classrooms contradicts the openness and love of learning the philosopher strived for

Plato addressed many of the questions that have been at the centre of discussion for almost 2,500 years

For children and vulnerable adults, some level of state-enforced restriction can be benign