Reliance on the support of others after an accident showed philosopher David Newheiser the power of solidarity. We need a similar sense of communal connection in our approach to COVID, he writes.
Pessimism, as explored by the philosopher Schopenhauer, offers tools to come to terms with the idea that refusing to relentlessly pursue happiness is perhaps the most reasonable attitude.
Stoicism can easily be misread as pessimistic because of its relentless focus on mortality and fragility. But its core message – contained in songs spanning generations – is profoundly empowering.
Does true love require self-sacrifice, as depicted in Thor: Love and Thunder? Plato’s Symposium, the most famous ancient dialogue on love, offers many perspectives.
Irony is linked to the ability to say one thing while thinking another – which means it’s also intrinsic to being human. What does new research into artificial intelligence and irony reveal?
People make decisions throughout their lives about their health. But when they are terminally ill they are not allowed to decide when they want to die.
Ludwig Wittgenstein’s brilliant early work has had a lasting influence on philosophy, though almost no one has agreed with his conclusions – not even Wittgenstein himself.