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Philosophy

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

Why strive? Stephen Fry reads Nick Cave’s letter on the threat of computed creativity

5 minutes

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Beauty and aesthetics

The grit of cacti and the drumbeat of time shape a sculptor’s life philosophy

11 minutes

A close-up shot of one woman holding and comforting another grief-stricken woman
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Ageing and death

Witness the pain

When loved ones are traumatically lost, bereaved families become accidental activists by turning grief into grievance

Chris Bobel

A shirtless man in jeans lies sleeping beside his 1970s era car on the sandy beach
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Work

Disengage

Modern life subjects us to all-consuming demands. That’s why we should reflect on what it means to step away from it all

David J Siegel

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Cognition and intelligence

Are you an artistic genius?

Maybe not, but if that’s the threshold you use for creativity in your life, you are coming at the problem all wrong

James C Kaufman

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Death

Even in modern secular societies, belief in an afterlife persists. Why?

9 minutes

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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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Meaning and the good life

The world turns vivid, strange and philosophical for one plane crash survivor

16 minutes

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Stories and literature

Solace and saudade

In the face of an inscrutable, indifferent universe, Pessoa suggests we cultivate a certain longing for the elusive horizon

Jonardon Ganeri & Sarah Seymour

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Philosophy of religion

A new paganism

Now is the time to revitalise our relationship with nature and immerse ourselves in the little wonders of the universe

Ed Simon

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Meaning and the good life

Why Aristotle believed that philosophy was humanity’s highest purpose

9 minutes

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Comparative 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

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Beauty and aesthetics

Attuned to the aesthetic

The ultimate value of the world can be discovered if you are sensitive to what is beautiful

Tom Cochrane

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Meaning and the good life

You’re astonishing!

Life can be better appreciated when you remember how wonderfully and frighteningly unlikely it is that you exist at all

Timm Triplett

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Virtues and vices

Look on the dark side

We must keep the flame of pessimism burning: it is a virtue for our deeply troubled times, when crude optimism is a vice

Mara van der Lugt

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Travel

The end of travel

Driven by the need for a storied life, I relished the opportunity for endless travel. Is that a moment in time, now over?

Henry Wismayer

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Meaning and the good life

To know or not to know? Lillian weighs the costs of a life-changing genetic test

10 minutes

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Meaning and the good life

Albert Camus built a philosophy of humanity on a foundation of absurdity

6 minutes

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Love and friendship

Treasure them

Sure, lovers and children are great. But friends are more than ever the heart of happiness, of family and of love itself

Anna Machin

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Meaning and the good life

Authenticity is a sham

From monks to existentialists and hipsters, the search for a true self has been a centuries-long project. Should we give it up?

Alexander Stern

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Meaning and the good life

Amid the chaos of being, Nietzsche believed that plants offer us inspiration for living

8 minutes

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Pleasure and pain

After losing his sight, a skateboarder takes an unexpected path to realising his dreams

12 minutes

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Meaning and the good life

Final thoughts

Do deathbed regrets give us a special insight into what really matters in life? There are good reasons to be sceptical

Neil Levy