Ethics
In some Asian countries, what’s in your blood may influence your social status.
It’s possible to measure philosophy’s progress in two ways. But is that really the point?
The attitude we take to Will Smith’s slap will mirror our attitudes to violence, masculinity, and protecting others more generally.
Chimpanzees are able to consider the context of social interactions and can accept unfavorable outcomes — sometimes.
Modern applications of Stoicism show up in unexpected places, from the latest techniques in psychotherapy to texts on Christian theology.
“It’s not a secret that legal language is very hard to understand. It’s borderline incomprehensible a lot of the time.”
Every year, scientists like George Church get better at editing the genomes of human beings. But will genome editing help or hurt us?
Outrage is a useful emotion that helped our ancient ancestors survive. Today, it leaves us feeling angry, tired, powerless, and miserable.
The A.I. system could improve the lives of commercially raised pigs.
A growing body of research shows that religious people seem to enjoy more psychological well-being compared to others.
“What am I missing?” is a question that journalist Mónica Guzmán thinks more people should start asking.
When we fail to help in a bad situation, we are morally responsible. So, why don’t we pick up others’ litter?
George Washington, for example, was quite happy to engage in deception, if that deception would help protect the United States.
Online Shinto communities have existed since the birth of the internet as we know it.
One god stands for order, logic, and reason. The other stands for chaos, madness, and drunkenness. Nietzsche thinks you need both.
We value human life in a way that assumes we possess a sacred something not found in beings like lambs, turkeys, or mosquitoes.
Although saying the wrong thing could often get you killed in ancient civilizations, history shows that the ideal of free speech has deep roots.
As the demonstrations grew, so did the internet service disruptions.
According to Sigmund Freud, our revulsion at taboos is an attempt to suppress a part of us that actually wants to do them.
Is hope more realistic than despair? Aquinas thinks so.
The death of God didn’t strike Nietzsche as an entirely good thing. Without a God, the basic belief system of Western Europe was in jeopardy.
“I need to think about the future. Will you help me?”
Beautiful people really know how to catch a break.
In Orwell’s dystopian novel, the government uses Newspeak to control thoughts by controlling language. But thoughts do not require language.
For some people, there is only one thing to live for. They commit their entire being to that thing. They are dangerous.
Pokémon has people wandering the world to enslave wild and magical creatures so they can fight in painful blood sports. What’s fun about that?
People can lose their authentic selves when they don’t honestly confront life’s potential, according to the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.
Do your kids a favor and give them the gift of philosophy this Christmas.
Role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons offer a valuable insight: Life is about shifting labels.
Washington believed that particular Thanksgiving in 1789 was a crucial occasion.