Jonny Thomson

Jonny Thomson

Jonny Thomson taught philosophy in Oxford for more than a decade before turning to writing full-time. He’s a columnist at Big Think and is the award-winning, bestselling author of three books that have been translated into 22 languages.

Jonny is also the founder of Mini Philosophy, a social network of around two million curious, intelligent minds. He's known all over the world for making philosophy accessible, relatable, and fun. 

a man riding on the back of a flying dragon.
Please allow me to introduce myself.
an old photo of a man and a woman working together.
When you do something with all your heart and mind, you do it with "meraki." When we lack this feeling, it can lead to burnout.
a painting of a man standing outside of a building.
Centuries ago, the typical British coffeehouse was more like a "school without a master" than a place to grab a quick boost of caffeine.
a man and a woman holding hands in front of an orange background.
The existential philosopher argued that an authentic and meaningful life is measured by choice.
a painting of a buddha surrounded by other figures.
Plato, Sun Tzu, and Buddha all lived in a "golden age" of philosophy that laid the foundation of modern thought.
A woman climbing up the side of a mountain.
A part of human nature needs to be challenged and feel strong. Today, we fulfill that need with "surrogate activities."
a drawing of a green speech bubble.
It’s the paradoxical observation that the more we try to process, the less we actually can.
a woman is putting a voting paper in a folder.
In a time when we dislike and distrust our politicians, why can't we get more popular leaders like Kim Jong Un and Bashar al-Assad?
a painting of different colors with arrows painted on it.
The Shirky Principle states that "institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution."
a painting of a bust of a man with a red and blue background.
"In order to seek truth," Rene Descartes once wrote, "it is necessary once in the course of our life to doubt, as far as possible, all things."
a black and white photo of two women sitting next to each other.
We know that everything changes, but we long for something more permanent.
a collage of photos with a whale tail.
Nobody knows where the word "penguin" comes from.
a pile of hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello.
What do Remus Lupin, Katniss Evergreen, William Wordsworth, and Usain Bolt all have in common?
a sign that says personal growth and development.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
a drawing of a person standing next to a pair of shoes.
The multi-leveled constructions of metaphysics are the collective workings of a fantastical virtuality. Did you get that?
newspapers on a printing press
Just like with AI, people worried about job security and the spread of disinformation. Machines were destroyed and book merchants were chased out of town.