Philosophy

A cross of St George or a union jack flown today means the same as it did in 1977: ‘You’re not welcome here’

Like bullfighting, this practice shows little respect for animals’ capacity to suffer and turns their deaths into a spectacle

What do Patrick Süskind’s classic and Asako Yuzuki's contemporary novel tell us about the philosophy of smell and taste?

There is a difference between riding your luck and being lucky, just ask Leah Williamson and the Lionesses

If its value was that it was greatly appreciated by so many people, do the individual trees being felled largely unseen in Brazilian rainforests count for less?

France used to revere its intellectuals – but the men moaning about ‘le wokisme’ are intellectual lightweights

The American philosopher championed ideas that inspired the likes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr – as well as the protests of today

Those who turn their back on world news and just get on with their lives inside a protective bubble are part of the problem

A new TV series asks what happens if human minds can be fully uploaded into machines

He might stop obsessing about building walls – and it might just improve his political philosophy

If Rousseau is right, it’s not just Venice and Bezos that are sinking. We all are 

The concept was developed by feminist thinkers in the 1970s. Finally, two female artists have come along to blow it to pieces

The human cost of air pollution is too high to ignore. But, how do we tackle those individuals who won't change their ways?

An open exchange of ideas, no matter how controversial or unpopular, is the best way to get closer to the truth

As the world lurches back towards nationalism and isolationism, does cosmopolitanism and its liberal philosophies have a place today?

The philosopher’s 1981 book After Virtue suggested that modern morality is fragmented and rootless – an argument that still stands today

The Mission: Impossible films show a man who bends the chaos of the world to his will and saves humanity. But what would Friedrich make of it all?

Atheists have a simple answer: it is evidence that God doesn’t exist, while believers say the gift of human free will brings with it the possibility of doing evil

The philosopher lost his childhood at the expense of his father's educational experiment. It was far too high a price for anyone to pay

Many secular philosophers have opposed war and particular wars, but Russell stands in a class apart

It’s never too late to start learning a musical instrument, and even if you aren’t very good, the benefits are much deeper than you might imagine

Thinkers like Kierkegaard used complexity and literary style, rather than clarity, to provoke reflection on existential questions

The media often describes terrorists as manifestations of evil, or as zombie-like products of indoctrination, but we urgently need a better account than that

The philosophical power couple lived in freedom, but that came at a cost for others around them

When we see something that’s well-crafted it’s very tempting to assume that it was designed by one person. But that tendency can lead us astray

Using artificial intelligence to generate images that mimic artworks robs humanity of one of the most meaningful experiences of all

The Austrian-born art historian’s bestselling books revolutionised our understanding of artistic perception

Whatever you do, don’t give in to the idea that we are all doomed. It only makes it all much worse

James Bailey’s new book attempts to finally answer humanity’s oldest and most profound question

The high-concept streaming hit is really asking one question: who would we be without our trauma?

Thousands of trees are being felled in the Amazon rainforest to build a four-lane highway for this year’s climate summit in Belém

Modelling physical violence as a way of controlling other people is bad in itself, but emotional damage for victims can be long-lasting and debilitating, too