Structuralism arose on the continent, in particular in France, in the early 60s. The first ‘big name’ was Claude Lévi-Strauss, an anthropologist, who took on Jean-Paul Sartre, the leading French ...

Omid Panahi finds that finding a solution is not the problem. The Trolley Problem is a thought experiment first devised by the Oxford moral philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967. In her paper titled ‘The ...

While there remains no consensus on what dignity is, by far the most important and famous conception of it remains the classical liberal account developed by Immanuel Kant. The fame is well deserved, ...

It is satisfying to find a scientific study not only quote but also confirm philosophical insights. Research published by Crystal Reeck of Temple University and Dan Ariely of Duke University is ...

Ben G. Yacobi asks if it is possible to live authentically. We are told: “To thine own self be true!” But what do we mean if we say that somebody is an authentic person, or a very genuine person?

Chad Trainer seeks out the causes of the birth of Western philosophy. Enthusiasts of ancient Greek culture are frequently under the impression that Greek philosophy and mythology are closely linked.

John Kennedy Philip goes deep into the search for (post-) human heights. Throughout our history, we human beings have been trying to transform ourselves with a view of overcoming our limitations, even ...

Tim Madigan on scientific versus religious explanations of ethical behaviour. “A man who has no assured and ever present belief in the existence of a personal God or of a future existence with ...

The following answers to this central philosophical question each win a random book. Sorry if your answer doesn’t appear: we received enough to fill twelve pages… Why are we here? Do we serve a ...

Mary Shelley’s father, political philosopher William Godwin, was the first modern exponent of anarchism. In his honour, Nick Gutierrez states the stateless ideal. Anarchism has been making headlines ...

Terri Murray tells us about a Hollywood hero beyond good and evil. If Hollywood genre movies can be depended upon to deliver one thing, it is a good hero pitted against an evil foe. Simplistic though ...

Raymond Tallis dreams up a flight of philosophical fancy. The story of Zhuangzi and the butterfly must be one of the best known anecdotes in the philosophical literature. It is also, for me at any ...