Being Human
Received wisdom
It’s difficult to say when and how my children first became aware of the concept of a prison. It was certainly very early, well…
Articles
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Being Human
New Philosopher China launches
“Believe me, wise men don’t say ‘I shall live to do that’, tomorrow’s life is too late; live today.” Martial 新哲人 中文版: After more…
Being Human
The self that is not a self
From the Flourishing edition, available from our online store Existence is suffering. We don’t have to look far to see the…
Being Human
On Anger
I. You have demanded of me, Novatus, that I should write how anger may be soothed, and it appears to me that you are…
Being Human
Damned if you don’t
There is an infamous passage in the nineteenth century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s book Either/Or that declares: Marry, and you will regret it; don’t…
Illusions
Dumb luck and entitlement
There’s a certain disappointment – maybe there’s a word for it in German – that comes from realising a quote you like is actually…
Ideas to change your life
Why not change your mind?
We frequently change our minds – most often about trivial things like the evening’s dinner plans, but sometimes about ideas of great importance to…
Being Human
Impossible choices
There is a famous paradox, the paradox of Buridan’s Ass, named after the 14th century French philosopher Jean Buridan. Imagine an ass which is…
Happiness
Happiness is hard to find
I have been happy. I hope to be happy again. But I am yet to feel something I’d call “happiness”. As a noun, it…
Art
The art of conflict
If there were a word to sum up the human condition for South Korean artist Daehyun Kim, it would be conflict. It’s a topic…
Art
Fifty to know the fate
Zan Boag: What prompted you to undertake the series of photographs in your work ‘Identical Twins’? Gao Ronnguo: I was born in Shandong province…
Illusions
You are your life, and nothing else
Existentialist philosophers teach us that we alone are responsible for creating a meaningful life in an absurd and unfair world. Standing on a cliff,…