Is ‘Up the Ra’ a man thing?Unthinkable: The ‘masculine’ character of Irish republicanism still influences today, says philosopher Dianna TaylorThu May 07 2020 - 05:00
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?Unthinkable: A study suggests social exclusion or loss of power may be a factorThu Apr 30 2020 - 05:00
Are we all Kantians now? The Covid-19 effect on moral philosophyUnthinkable: The pandemic is exposing long-tolerated inequalitiesThu Apr 23 2020 - 05:00
Coronavirus: Is there a hidden purpose to the pandemic?Unthinkable: People – even atheists – tend to think things happen ‘for a reason’Thu Apr 16 2020 - 05:00
Life after coronavirus: will we emerge as better people?Unthinkable: The crisis may make us less consumerist, says psychologist Bruce HoodThu Apr 09 2020 - 05:00
Can’t travel because of Covid-19? There’s always the inner journeyUnthinkable: The coronavirus crisis is an opportunity for armchair tourism, says philosopher Emily ThomasThu Apr 02 2020 - 11:15
Coronavirus: How can philosophy help us in this time of crisis?Unthinkable: Philosophers might not be on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic but they have a role to playThu Mar 26 2020 - 05:00
Don’t give up on the search for your soulUnthinkable: The idea of a soul helps us to understand ‘what it is to be human’, says philosopher John CottinghamThu Mar 19 2020 - 05:00
Trust no one: The cynical logic of social mediaMimicking online ethos is self-defeating for mainstream media, says ‘trust expert’ José Van DijckThu Mar 12 2020 - 05:00
Ireland has a strange relationship with the word ‘republican’Unthinkable: Ireland’s conception of republicanism is outside of the European normThu Mar 05 2020 - 05:00
What’s so funny about philosophers?Unthinkable: The original ‘sage-wannabes’ of Athens were considered slightly weird, a new book revealsThu Feb 27 2020 - 05:00
Would you kill one person to save five? Depends if you’re a millennial or notUnthinkable: Should we be worried about the apparent rise of utilitarianism?Thu Feb 20 2020 - 05:00
If someone hurts you, should you always blame them?Unthinkable: People can cause harm unwittingly through clumsiness or ignoranceThu Feb 13 2020 - 05:00
Want to make a real difference? Give to a neglected causeUnthinkable: ‘Effective altruism’ seeks to do the most good with limited resourcesThu Feb 06 2020 - 05:00
The psychologist who says it’s ‘important’ to punish childrenUnthinkable: Roy Baumeister is a long-time critic of the ‘self-esteem movement’Thu Jan 30 2020 - 05:00
Is there an answer to ‘the ultimate meaning’ of life?Unthinkable: Philosopher Patrick Masterson believes there is a ‘rational order’ to the universe whether or not God existsThu Jan 23 2020 - 05:00
Rise of the killer robots: The future of warUnthinkable: Autonomous weapons allow us to kill without a conscience. Atrocities are inevitableThu Jan 16 2020 - 05:00
Journalism has become ‘ridiculous’: The case for turning off the newsUnthinkable: Self-help writer Rolf Dobelli is ‘calmer and wiser’ since going ‘news free’Thu Jan 09 2020 - 05:00
Why humans can survive without religion but not ritualsUnthinkable: Sasha Sagan, daughter of cosmologist Carl Sagan, believes feast days are indispensableThu Jan 02 2020 - 05:00
There’s no meaning of life. Now, happy Christmas!Unthinkable: Meaning can be found in everything from a loving relationship to playing chess, says philosopher Jonathan RowsonThu Dec 19 2019 - 05:00
Why Nietzsche wouldn't go near social mediaUnthinkable: Technology is turning us into ‘passive nihilists’, says philosopher Nolen GertzThu Dec 12 2019 - 05:00
Can you be both a Christian and an unbeliever?Unthinkable: Christianity’s tolerance of unbelief may be new atheism’s Achilles’ heelThu Dec 05 2019 - 05:30
Is your ‘true self’ a kind of ghost?Unthinkable: One of philosophy’s great debates may be down to a misunderstandingThu Nov 28 2019 - 05:00
Can European civilisation survive the death of Christianity?Unthinkable: Like it or not, our society depends on a Christian moral inheritanceThu Nov 21 2019 - 13:42
Can women ever get a fair deal under capitalism?Unthinkable: Gender equality is a win-win for all, says economist Vicky PryceThu Nov 14 2019 - 05:00
The mathematician and the philosopher: A tale of two siblingsUnthinkable: Simone and André Weil had a profound influence on one another, a new book revealsThu Nov 07 2019 - 05:00
How to deal with life’s setbacks? Think like a StoicUnthinkable: The Roman Stoics might just have the answer to all your problems in a ‘convenient’ heavenly fictionThu Oct 31 2019 - 05:00
Why do so many Americans hate the welfare state?Unthinkable: The US’s Protestant roots and Europe’s Catholic roots may help to explain contrasting attitudes to equalityThu Oct 24 2019 - 05:00
Can you really love a dog? and life’s other big questionsUnthinkable: You can do philosophy anywhere. Even while walking your dogThu Oct 17 2019 - 05:00
How to understand China: Step one, forget about GodUnthinkable: Despite very different religious traditions, the Irish and the Chinese are similar in their thinking, says Jerusha McCormackThu Oct 10 2019 - 05:00
How do you know you actually exist?Unthinkable: Without a ‘soul’ there is no self, says philosopher Richard SwinburneThu Oct 03 2019 - 05:00
How ditching religious faith can set you freeUnthinkable: We’ve a limited time on Earth. Accepting that fact can revolutionise societyThu Sept 26 2019 - 11:38
How can I distinguish between my needs and wants?Unthinkable: Economist and philosopher Adam Smith encourages us to reflect on ‘how much is enough’Thu Sept 19 2019 - 21:08
Why there will never be a cure for irrationalityUnthinkable: Justin E H Smith discusses technological utopianism, Slavoj Zizek and the role of comedy in philosophyThu Sept 12 2019 - 12:46
Richard Dawkins: ‘Brexit is now a religion. They don’t mind if they destroy the country’The atheist biologist has written a new book about God but what really worries him is closer to homeWed Sept 11 2019 - 06:00
When is it okay to shame another person?Unthinkable: Shame has a ‘Newtonian force’ for good or bad, says Prof Sally R MuntThu Sept 05 2019 - 05:00
Philosophy in the classroom? You Kant be seriousKids can handle Plato, not just playdough: So argue two new documentaries on TV and radioMon Sept 02 2019 - 17:03
Why does time fly? Maybe you’re not paying enough attentionUnthinkable: There are number of plausible theories of time, says Sean Enda PowerThu Aug 29 2019 - 17:42
Lies, bullsh*t and knowledge resistance: A spotter’s guideAmid growing interest in the ‘science of irrationality’, The Irish Times provides an A-Z of common intellectual trapsWed Aug 21 2019 - 05:45
Has mindfulness become just another wing of capitalism?Unthinkable: Ronald E Purser warns against the rise of ethically neutral and self-absorbed spiritual practisesThu Jul 11 2019 - 05:00
Ireland can manage without the church but can it do without myths?Unthinkable: Mark Patrick Hederman makes the case for promoting ‘mythic intelligence’Thu Jul 04 2019 - 11:33
Why humans need mercy more than justice to surviveUnthinkable: When the robots take over you’d better hope they’re merciful, says author Malcolm BullThu Jun 27 2019 - 05:00
The History of Philosophy: AC Grayling’s insightful but blinkered viewReview: AC Grayling is a superb communicator of complex concepts but there are absent voices: women and Irish philosophers for startersTue Jun 25 2019 - 06:00
Should children be taught to be patriotic?Unthinkable: There is merit in a virtuous patriotism but it can't be instilled through trickery or threats, says Randall CurrenThu Jun 20 2019 - 13:15
The greatest Irish thinker you’ve never read? It could be this manUnthinkable: The Kerry ‘eco-poet’ John Moriarty illuminates a better way for humanity, says Michael W HigginsThu Jun 13 2019 - 12:59
Can’t get Netflix? You may be suffering an aesthetic injusticeUnthinkable: Lack of cultural access is a serious wrong, says philosopher Rachel FraserThu Jun 06 2019 - 05:00
Why you can’t be angry and rational at the same timeUnthinkable: The Stoic philosopher Seneca debunked the idea of ‘righteous anger’, his translator explainsThu May 30 2019 - 05:00
Is virtue ethics making a comeback, 2,400 years after Aristotle?Unthinkable: We must find ‘middle way’, says Ireland’s new young philosopher of the yearThu May 23 2019 - 05:00
Why be good when it seems like nasty guys finish first?Unthinkable: Liars and cheats cannot ultimately fool themselves, says philosopher Vittorio BufacchiFri May 17 2019 - 13:13
Why the world needs Iris Murdoch’s philosophy of ‘unselfing’Centenary of author’s birth in Dublin is being used as an occasion to reclaim her moral visionThu May 16 2019 - 05:00
