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Aristotle thought that plants possess what he called a ‘vegetative soul’. Centred on growing and reproducing, this primordial, unthinking state of being was encompassed and far surpassed by the ‘rational soul’ of humans. Friedrich Nietzsche, however, believed that, in the overwhelming confusion of considering how we might live, there was much we could learn from plants – deeply rooted in the ground and yet limitlessly expressive as they are. Borrowing from some of Nietzsche’s lesser-known writings, this short video essay might just inspire you to look at a plant growing through a crack in the ‘inhospitable ground’ – and perhaps even Nietzsche himself – in a new light.
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Mood and emotion
A century of letters captures the emotions of life in a new city, far from home
21 minutes
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Ageing and death
Death is a trip – how new research links near-death and DMT experiences
9 minutes
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Technology and the self
Adaptive technologies have helped Stephen Hawking, and many more, find their voice
5 minutes
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Gender and identity
‘When you’re done, you stay human!’ What gender transition means to John
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Stories and literature
Solaris and beyond – Stanisław Lem’s antidotes to the bores of American sci-fi
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Philosophy of language
For Ludwig Wittgenstein, language is a game, but not a frivolous one
43 minutes
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Neuroscience
The brain repurposed our sense of physical distance to understand social closeness
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Consciousness and altered states
You need to make friends with pain to run through the Grand Canyon and back
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Art
Grotesque imagery meets religious conservatism in Hieronymus Bosch’s art
51 minutes