Philosophy – The Conversation

Although Jimmy Donaldson might have you think otherwise, exploiting people for entertainment can’t be morally offset by doing good elsewhere.

AI bots promise limitless companionship – but limits are what makes human relationships meaningful, a philosopher argues.

Montesquieu shaped how Americans understood liberty, and his warning about a ‘tyranny of opinion’ speaks to today’s polarization.

I’ve been researching the myriad triggers of travel anxiety, inspired by my own experience of Generalised Anxiety Disorder. These are my favourite tips.

Gramsci was writing in the face of the collapse of revolutionary hopes. But he rejected the dominant Marxist thinking of his day.

For the Greeks, sophrosyne was an ideal second to none. It’s just as important today, in an age of internet addiction and misinformation – but harder to come by.

Plutarch’s practical ethics propose two ways we can live happier, more serene lives.

It may seem like a paradox, but it takes good friends for someone to really understand themselves – and grow in virtue, as Aristotle argued.

Habermas was unshakeable in his conviction that people have minds of their own and are free to hope for a better future.

It’s one thing to pull for your national team when patriotism feels uncomplicated. It’s quite another when you aren’t feeling very proud to be an American.

Are there potential benefits to artificial friendships, or is the idea of a mechanical friend sadder or more pathetic than having no friends at all?

The concept of ‘Cultural Marxism’, which can be traced back to the 1930s, has become a staple of contemporary right-wing discourse.

Just war theory, developed over centuries, focuses on six criteria for assessing whether a conflict is justified.

Environmental solutions that come in the guise of technological progress may harbour dangers we can’t fully fathom or control.

If you’re looking to be loved, Simone de Beauvoir would warn you to look away from AI.

Before asking whether inclusion is good for business, we should ask whether it is the right thing to do, two scholars argue.

The soul and body splitting event of childbirth – and the profound experience of becoming a mother – have been sidelined by philosophy for centuries.

Everyone likes being told they’re clever, even if it’s coming from an AI chatbot. But their sycophancy has serious consequences for truth and trust.