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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

Photo of a modern bathroom with circular tiled walls and surfaces, two sinks, mirrors and red hand dryers reflected in the mirrors.

essay

Mathematics

Beyond causality

In order to bridge the yawning gulf between the humanities and the sciences we must turn to an unexpected field: mathematics

Gordon Gillespie

Medieval painting of a man in a cosmic circle with zodiac symbols surrounded by blue and red patterns.

essay

History of science

The birth of naturalism

The modern era is often seen as the triumph of science over supernaturalism. But what really happened is far more interesting

Peter Harrison

Two silhouetted figures examining a wall-sized, illuminated display of the periodic table.

essay

Chemistry

Chemical laws

Often dismissed as the poor cousin of the sciences, chemistry has revealed natural laws that illuminate our Universe

Vanessa A Seifert

Photo of three vertical beams of red laser light in a dark room creating a glowing effect on the floor.

essay

Philosophy of science

Aha = wow

We surveyed thousands of scientists in four countries and learned just how important beauty is to them

Bridget Ritz & Brandon Vaidyanathan

Digital artwork of a forest inside a circular frame with geometric lines, displayed against a black background.

essay

Stories and literature

Laboratories of the impossible

By testing the boundaries of reality, Spanish-language authors have created a sublime counterpart to experimental physics

Joshua Roebke

A solitary figure walking up misty stairs toward an unclear building, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

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Philosophy of science

The nature of natural laws

Physicists and philosophers today have formulated three opposing models that explain how laws work. Which is the best?

Mario Hubert

A sea turtle swimming underwater in clear turquoise water with sunlight shimmering on the surface.

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Philosophy of science

Elusive but everywhere

A new theory argues that unseen ‘fields’ guide all goal-directed things in the Universe, from falling rocks to voyaging turtles

Daniel W McShea & Gunnar O Babcock

Black and white photo of a vintage propeller aircraft flying in a clear sky.

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Philosophy of science

The forces of chance

Social scientists cling to simple models of reality – with disastrous results. Instead they must embrace chaos theory

Brian Klaas

Photo of two grey birds on a rock by water, one standing and the other appearing to crash land into the rock, neck bent with wings raised; green reeds in background.

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Philosophy of science

Life makes mistakes

Hens try to hatch golf balls, whales get beached. Getting things wrong seems to play a fundamental role in life on Earth

David S Oderberg

Black and white photo of a vintage race car numbered 6 speeding past blurred spectators emphasising motion and early motor racing.

essay

History of science

Clock time contra lived time

Henri Bergson and Albert Einstein fundamentally disagreed about the nature of time and how it can be measured. Who was right?

Evan Thompson

Black and white photo of four people in sunglasses standing on a terrace overlooking the sea with a hilly coastline in the background.

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Metaphysics

Desperate remedies

In order to make headway on knotty metaphysical problems, philosophers should look to the methods used by scientists

Nina Emery

Silhouette of baobab trees against a vibrant orange sunset with the sun peeking through the branches of the largest tree.

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Biology

Seeing plants anew

The stunningly complex behaviour of plants has led to a new way of thinking about our world: plant philosophy

Stella Sandford

Abstract artwork featuring geometric shapes, primarily red and black triangles, against a white background. Russian text is interspersed, with a red triangle pointing rightward and a large white circle on the right. Various smaller shapes and text elements are scattered around.

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Quantum theory

Quantum dialectics

When quantum mechanics posed a threat to the Marxist doctrine of materialism, communist physicists sought to reconcile the two

Jim Baggott

Close-up of a person’s hand gently holding the wet snout of a black cow, with a blurred green background.

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Evolution

Kinship

Science must become attuned to the subtle conversations that pervade all life, from the primordial to the present

David Waltner-Toews

Medieval illustration of two figures walking with staffs, dressed in blue and red robes, standing within a circle, with decorative blue and red corners.

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History of science

The missing conversation

To the detriment of the public, scientists and historians don’t engage with one another. They must begin a new dialogue

Lorraine Daston & Peter Harrison

Two stick figures, one purple and one white, touching heads with scribbled lines above them, depicting a heated argument.

video

Gender

When aggression is viewed as brilliance, it hurts women in science, and science itself

5 minutes

Scientists in cleanroom suits conversing in a brightly lit laboratory with a yellow hue, featuring reflective surfaces and specialised equipment.

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Philosophy of science

Why not scientism?

Science is not the only form of knowledge but it is the best, being the most successful epistemic enterprise in history

Moti Mizrahi

Medieval illustration of a monk using a compass on a wooden desk, with books, a scale, and an ornate background.

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History of science

Machina mundi

How medieval thinkers foreshadowed modern physics in investigating the character of machines, devices and forces

Henrik Lagerlund & Sylvain Roudaut

Man in a brown jacket and maroon tie sitting on a beige sofa, speaking with a neutral expression. Background is a plain, light brown wall.

video

Thinkers and theories

Bernard Williams on Descartes’s audacious endeavour to prove knowledge is possible

43 minutes

Silhouettes of three people walking dogs on a sand dune under a clear sky, creating shadows on the rippled sand.

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Knowledge

A sliver of reality

Science and mathematics may never fully capture the physical universe. Are there hard limits to human intelligence?

David H Wolpert

Group photo of attendees at the Colston Symposium on Observation and Interpretation in 1957. All are male bar one.

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Thinkers and theories

The lady vanishes

The history of ideas still struggles to remember the names of notable women philosophers. Mary Hesse is a salient example

Ann-Sophie Barwich

Abstract image featuring a metallic sphere inside a grey circular tunnel, viewed towards a blurred gradient background.

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Philosophy of science

What is a law of nature?

Laws of nature are impossible to break, and nearly as difficult to define. Just what kind of necessity do they possess?

Marc Lange

Two scatter plots with points in a circular pattern centred at origin, labelled x and y axes ranging from -1 to 1.

video

Logic and probability

The unresolved probability paradox that goes to the heart of scientific objectivity

8 minutes

Man with blonde hair wearing a black jumper, gesturing with his hands, and speaking indoors with a painting in the background.

video

Quantum theory

Mind-bending new quantum experiments are blurring past, present and future

10 minutes