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Comparative philosophy

Essays and videos on philosophy, the history of ideas, ethics and life’s big questions

Beauty and aesthetics Bioethics Comparative philosophy Cosmopolitanism Death Ethics History of ideas Knowledge Logic and probability Meaning and the good life Metaphysics Philosophy of language Philosophy of mind Philosophy of religion Philosophy of science Political philosophy Thinkers and theories Values and beliefs Virtues and vices

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A dimly lit bar with red decor, a man sitting at the counter, a bartender, and a woman entering through a door.

essayComparative philosophy

What is Ethiopian philosophy?

Riven by two competing schools of thought, the future of philosophical enquiry in Ethiopia stands at a crossroads

Fasil Merawi

Street food vendor cooking skewers on a grill as people gather to eat and buy in a bustling outdoor setting.

essayComparative philosophy

A cure for individualism

It runs deeply through the Western outlook, hailed and condemned in equal measures. For a corrective, look to Confucius

Tim Connolly

Black and white photo of a man in a suit sitting indoors with a vase and branches.

videoMeaning and the good life

Leading 1950s thinkers on the search for happiness in trying times

29 minutes

A colourful book illustration of a weary traveller in a forest being awoken by a peacock tugging at his sleeve

essayComparative philosophy

Folklore is philosophy

Both folktales and formal philosophy unsettle us into thinking anew about our cherished values and views of the world

Abigail Tulenko

A man dressed in white robes with his face obscured is seen in a cave entrance carved from rock

essayComparative philosophy

Forging philosophy

A 17th-century classic of Ethiopian philosophy might be a fake. Does it matter, or is that just how philosophy works?

Jonathan Egid

A triptych with books, vases, and writing utensils. From left to right: stacks of books, vases with flowers, and various containers on decorated backgrounds.

essayComparative philosophy

How to become wise

Practice is at the heart of Korean philosophy. In order to lead a good life, hone your daily rituals of self-cultivation

Kevin Cawley

Ink wash painting of a dragon emerging from clouds, showing detailed dragon face, claws, and scales against a smoked, cloudy background.

essayMetaphysics

We are interwoven beings

A dragon needs the clouds and the wind in order to fly. What happens when we too relinquish individualistic reasoning?

Mercedes Valmisa

Medieval illustration of scholars in discussion, one holding an astrolabe and another reading a book, with ornate decorations and a rooster in the margin.

essayComparative philosophy

Medieval but not Christian

It’s shocking that histories of medieval philosophy celebrate only Christian thinkers, ignoring Islamic and Jewish thought

Yitzhak Y Melamed

Marble statue depicting two historical figures in discussion, one sitting with a scroll. The statue is detailed with draped robes.

ideaHistory of ideas

The adversarial culture in philosophy does not serve the truth

Martin Lenz

Abstract painting of industrial structures with curved shapes in shades of blue, grey and brown, depicting pipes, tanks and ladders.

essayThinkers and theories

Pragmatism endures

Pragmatism was not eclipsed after Dewey: it has been a constant and dominant force in philosophy for nearly 100 years

Cheryl Misak & Robert B Talisse

Vintage photo of an older man with a moustache wearing traditional attire, sitting in front of a building with columns and plants.

videoThinkers and theories

A Buddhist monk probes Heidegger on the limits, and necessity, of philosophy

16 minutes

Abstract line drawing with swirling patterns and a small, cartoonish four-legged creature in the centre. Some areas are tinted with light colour.

essayThinkers and theories

The American Aristotle

Charles Sanders Peirce was a brilliant philosopher, mathematician and scientist. His polymathic work should be better known

Daniel Everett

A woman offering alms to a line of monks in orange robes holding bowls in a traditional ceremony on a street.

essayThinkers and theories

Marxism and Buddhism

Life is suffering, whether you sit under a Bodhi Tree or stand with the workers. But do the two schools agree on the remedy?

Adrian Kreutz

A painting of a bearded man in a turban holding a decorative box, sitting by flowering trees and plants with a goblet nearby.

ideaThinkers and theories

Ibn Tufayl and the story of the feral child of philosophy

Marwa Elshakry & Murad Idris

Illustration of three people near the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge at sunset with a city skyline in the distance.

essayThinkers and theories

Australian philosophy

Despite its reputation as remote and anti-intellectual, Australia has exercised a surprisingly deep influence on philosophy

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Marie Kondo kneeling with her eyes closed on a patterned rug with hands clasped, wearing a white cardigan and floral skirt in front of a vintage dresser.

ideaBeauty and aesthetics

Tidying up is not joyful but another misuse of Eastern ideas

Amy Olberding

Medieval Arabic world map on parchment with Arabic text, circular design featuring various regions in red and black ink.

ideaGlobal history

Don’t let the rise of Europe steal world history

Peter Frankopan

Monks in orange robes standing near the Golden Rock in Myanmar, with a bright blue sky in the background.

essayPhilosophy of mind

Buddhism and self-deception

How can I logically manage to deceive myself? Buddhist thought offers a way out of the philosophical paradox

Katie Javanaud

Painting of a seated person in traditional Indian attire surrounded by followers in robes, set in a nature backdrop with a small hut.

ideaTechnology and the self

Modern technology is akin to the metaphysics of Vedanta

Akhandadhi Das

A Japanese monk in traditional clothing on the porch of a building at night with large flags displayed outside next to trees.

essayReligion

Breath of life

Shinto is uniquely Japanese, yet embodies a once-universal animistic religion of wind and fire, gods and animal spirits

Brian Victoria

Painting of a scene with men in traditional Indian attire visiting a woman standing beside a river, surrounded by trees and a building in the background.

essayComparative philosophy

First women of philosophy

Philosophy was once a woman’s world, ranging across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It’s time to reclaim that lost realm

Dag Herbjørnsrud

Ancient manuscript with Kufic calligraphy, black ink on parchment, red and green diacritical marks are visible.

ideaThinkers and theories

How Al-Farabi drew on Plato to argue for censorship in Islam

Rashmee Roshan Lall

Watercolour painting of a man sitting with folded legs and eyes closed next to a few rocks and bamboo in the background.

classicPhilosophy of religion

A funhouse mirror for the soul

Alan Jay Levinovitz

A person standing on a tiled surface with their shadow, pigeons scattered around, and one pigeon flying nearby.

essayHistory of ideas

A truly African philosophy

‘Consolation philosophy’ understands the human being as a unity of feeling and reason, in a cosmos rich with primal emotion

Ada Agada