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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

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

video

Meaning and the good life

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

29 minutes

Abstract photo of tree branches with a dreamy overlay of yellow and blue light creating a soft, ethereal effect.

essay

Metaphysics

Many worlds, many selves

If it’s true that we live in a vast multiverse, then our understanding of identity, morality and even God must be reexamined

Emily Qureshi-Hurst

Photo of colourful light reflections on a dark tiled floor, possibly from a stained glass window in a dimly lit interior space.

essay

Values and beliefs

My leap across the chasm

After years of debate and contemplation, I’ve come to think a heretical form of Christianity might be true. Here’s why

Philip Goff

Two children hugging on the floor, one in a white shirt smiling with eyes closed while the other wears a red jacket.

video

Bioethics

Is it ethical to have a second child so that your first might live?

10 minutes

Black-and-white photo of three Black men sitting at a table with microphones during a press conference. One of the men has a bandage on his head.

essay

History of ideas

All that we are

The philosophy of personalism inspired Martin Luther King’s dream of a better world. We still need its hopeful ideas today

Bennett Gilbert

A close-up drawing of a face with detailed patterns and a hand touching the face, using earthy tones and texture on a brown background.

essay

Meaning and the good life

Beyond authenticity

In her final unfinished work, Hannah Arendt mounted an incisive critique of the idea that we are in search of our true selves

Samantha Rose Hill

Black and white image of Japanese soldiers in battle gear marching with a Rising Sun Flag, superimposed with large Japanese calligraphy characters on a plain background.

essay

Nations and empires

Chastising little brother

Why did Japanese Confucians enthusiastically support Imperial Japan’s murderous conquest of China, the homeland of Confucius?

Shaun O’Dwyer

Two men sit talking on a wooden beam by a dock. One is in jeans, the other wears a coat and holds a small item. A cargo ship, a bridge and a warehouse are in the background.

essay

Stories and literature

Do liberal arts liberate?

In Jack London’s novel, Martin Eden personifies debates still raging over the role and purpose of education in American life

Nick Romeo

A smiling family group stands in a living room posing for a photo. The table is adorned with red candles, a mirror, apples, and a green plant.

video

Rituals and celebrations

A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth

3 minutes

A dark, hazy scene of a figure in a top hat walking near a building with large columns. The background features a dimly lit path alongside water, with street lamps illuminating the night. The setting appears lonely and atmospheric, with distant hills visible under an overcast sky.

essay

Stories and literature

Terrifying vistas of reality

H P Lovecraft, the master of cosmic horror stories, was a philosopher who believed in the total insignificance of humanity

Sam Woodward

A sepia photo of a shirtless man, a woman, and a child sitting on a beach; the child and woman wear shell necklaces.

essay

Thinkers and theories

A man beyond categories

Paul Tillich was a religious socialist and a profoundly subtle theologian who placed doubt at the centre of his thought

Ted Farris

Painting of a scene in a historic European street with men dressed in colourful Renaissance attire, with hats and capes, and women in period clothing.

essay

Political philosophy

The battles over beginnings

Niccolò Machiavelli’s profound insights about the violent origins of political societies help us understand the world today

David Polansky

Elderly man in a cap and jacket sits on concrete steps outdoors holding a cup, with greenery and trees in the background.

video

Love and friendship

After his son’s terrorist attack, Azdyne seeks healing – and his granddaughter

25 minutes

A man wearing a knit hat, facing sideways in a misty outdoor setting, with a stack of balanced stones in the background.

video

Values and beliefs

A Zen Buddhist priest voices the deep matters he usually ponders in silence

5 minutes

Medieval illustration of a crowned figure, holding a sceptre, wearing a blue cloak over an intricately patterned robe, seated against a parchment background.

video

Religion

Hear from blasphemes, sceptics and free-thinkers in this ‘tour of medieval unbelief’

52 minutes

Black-and-white photo of two men standing behind a sign that reads “What is the line between us?”, gesturing towards a partition with another person’s hand visible.

video

Art

The irreverent duo who thumbed their noses at the Soviet Union and the US art world

11 minutes

A woman carrying a child walks past a burning structure in a smoky environment, appearing concerned and cautious.

essay

Ethics

Ethics has no foundation

Ethical values can be both objective and knowable – torture really is wrong – yet not need any foundation outside themselves

Andrew Sepielli

Ancient adobe village atop a hill at dusk, overlooking vast plains with a few people walking and animals grazing in the foreground.

essay

Metaphysics

Purposeful universe

Neither atheism nor theism adequately explains reality. That is why we must consider the middle ground between the two

Philip Goff

A man in tradional long shorts and striped shirt holds a huge heavy stone abvove his head as a crowd looks on

essay

Values and beliefs

How traditions progress

The colourful Swiss sport of stone putting illuminates Aristotle’s insights into the shortcomings of conservative thought

Daniel Kranzelbinder

A woman sits alone in a Parisian cafe with a glass of wine, while the neighbouring tables are full of socialising groups

essay

Love and friendship

Loved, yet lonely

You might have the unconditional love of family and friends and yet feel deep loneliness. Can philosophy explain why?

Kaitlyn Creasy

Ancient bronze statue of a winged figure with raised hand, displaying a humanoid form and detailed feathered wings, set against a dark background.

video

The ancient world

Meet the absentee gods and nefarious spirits of ancient Mesopotamia

6 minutes

Woman with brown hair in a “Jews for Reproductive Freedom” shirt smiling and holding papers and a water bottle at an outdoor event.

video

Religion

How Jewish leaders in the US are fighting abortion bans on religious grounds

24 minutes

A person gently caressing a calf’s head, both looking content, in a field during sunset.

video

Values and beliefs

How the plight of holy cows is used to radicalise teenagers in small-town India

24 minutes

Two people sit at a desk covered in papers. Background includes book shelves and posters about the “Ulysses” novel and Arnold Bennett.

essay

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