Philosophy
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Stories and literature
Vergil’s secret message
Long derided as mere coincidences, acrostics in ancient poetry are finally being taken seriously – with astonishing results
Julia Hejduk
video
Spirituality
Trek alongside spiritual pilgrims on a treacherous journey across Pakistan
6 minutes
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Work
Freedom at work
There is always a demand for more jobs. But what makes a job good? For that, Immanuel Kant has an answer
Tyler Re
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Thinkers and theories
Photographs offer a colonialist window to the past – one that must be challenged
14 minutes
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Philosophy of language
Quantum poetics
How Borges and Heisenberg converged on the notion that language both enables and interferes with our grasp of reality
William Egginton
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Human rights and justice
Beyond obscenity
A century after the trial against ‘Ulysses’, we must revisit the civil liberties arguments of its defender, Morris Ernst
Brett Gary
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Meaning and the good life
The world turns vivid, strange and philosophical for one plane crash survivor
16 minutes
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Thinkers and theories
Why seek self-realisation?
In the face of climate crisis it might seem myopic but philosophers from Spinoza to Næss argue it is the only way forward
Helen De Cruz
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Art
Inside the unique creative space where ‘outsider’ artists find their form
14 minutes
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Gender
When aggression is viewed as brilliance, it hurts women in science, and science itself
5 minutes
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History of ideas
Equality without compromise
Liberal philosophy has clipped the wings of the egalitarian ideal. We should return to the bolder ideals of Iris Murdoch
Christine Sypnowich
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Religion
From God’s shoes to satellites in heaven – children weigh in on religion
8 minutes
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Political philosophy
Liberalism against capitalism
The work of John Rawls shows that liberal values of equality and freedom are fundamentally incompatible with capitalism
Colin Bradley
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Stories and literature
Myths from Earth’s edge – what the Icelandic sagas reveal about Norse morality
57 minutes
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Thinkers and theories
Wittgenstein in the classroom
The philosopher understood that learning – of a concept, of ourselves, of each other – is the undertaking of a whole life
Calum Jacobs
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Technology and the self
Why we should worry less about ‘sentient’ AIs and more about what we’re teaching them
16 minutes
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The ancient world
The great libraries of Rome
Passersby could wander at will into grand public libraries in imperial Rome. Could they trust what they found inside?
Fabio Fernandes
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Art
Why European artists shifted their focus from power to peasants in the 16th century
5 minutes
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Philosophy of religion
Who was Duns Scotus?
His name is now the byword for a fool, yet his proof for the existence of God was the most rigorous of the medieval period
Thomas M Ward
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Thinkers and theories
Analytic women
Twin forces marginalised the women of early analytic philosophy. Correct those mistakes, and the next generation benefits
Jeanne Peijnenburg & Sander Verhaegh
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Thinkers and theories
The Indian pragmatist
Ambedkar was not only a politician, but a profound thinker whose philosophy of democracy challenged the caste system
Scott R Stroud
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Political philosophy
Is the idea that democracy always benefits society misguided, or just mathematics?
7 minutes
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Religion
Miracles not magic
It took a tremendous effort to distinguish early Christianity from the finely tuned world of pagan beliefs and rituals
Martha Rampton
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Fairness and equality
To build a fair society, we must first be able to envision it. John Rawls can help
64 minutes