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Utilitarianism
George Szpiro explores the philosophical ideas that explain why justice — not freedom or efficiency — may better anchor a fair society.
Philosophers once prophesied that evolution would lead to minds far greater — and stranger — than our own.
Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.)
If happiness is an absolute good, would 1 billion slightly happy people be better than 1 million incredibly happy people?
20mins
“Even if there are beliefs that we hold that are true, if we prevent people
challenging those beliefs, we will lose our understanding of why they're true.”
"I think it's about time we stop allowing every male generation bang their frontal lobe through its most developmental stages."
Three of the greatest moral philosophers — Bentham, Kant and Aristotle — offer invaluable and practical lessons for leaders today.
Why do we tip waitstaff and cabdrivers but not flight attendants and retail clerks?
"The movement is much bigger than Sam Bankman-Fried, or any one person, no matter how wealthy," philosopher Peter Singer told Big Think.
A battle between different kinds of love.
From Taoism to hedonism, philosophers have devised all sorts of ways to live your best life.
Philosophy isn't stuck in the past. Here are five texts to connect you with its ongoing dialogue.
A controversial new philosophy paper tries to bring our moral prejudices to heel. Should it?
6mins
Ideas that seem wildly controversial today may move humanity towards progress. Philosopher Peter Singer asks —how do we keep them from being stifled?
Dive into five philosophical schools that have faded into obscurity but still whisper through the ages.
There's nothing like the end of the world to make you a philosopher.
8mins
Effective altruism isn’t just for the rich. Philosopher Peter Singer shares how we can all be better at doing “good.”
Are people are more likely to act less emotionally and more rationally when speaking their second language?
Far from being a “dead” pursuit that focuses on old ideas, modern philosophy proposes and debates important, new concepts. All of us can learn from it.
The utilitarian “greatest happiness principle” has remained popular for two centuries — is it time for a rethink?
4mins
Everyone commits this rationality error.
Most philosophers merely contemplate the world, but what about the ones who actually tried to change it?
They could also "turn off" their fear.
From Aristotle's lazy cosmology to Immanuel Kant's "scientific" racism, great minds are not immune to very bad ideas.
Patients with amygdala damage rejected the widely accepted answer to the infamous "trolley problem," saying that it "hurts too much."
The attitude we take to Will Smith's slap will mirror our attitudes to violence, masculinity, and protecting others more generally.
Pokémon has people wandering the world to enslave wild and magical creatures so they can fight in painful blood sports. What's fun about that?