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We talk too much about rights - and not enough about love

We talk too much about rights - and not enough about love

Unthinkable: Ethical debate is at risk of becoming ‘cold and impersonal’, Tony Milligan warns

Tue Nov 28 2017 - 06:05
Philosophers on the ‘intriguing ethics’ of sex robots

Philosophers on the ‘intriguing ethics’ of sex robots

Unthinkable: Sexbots are under development. Don't ban them, an academic team advises

Tue Nov 21 2017 - 06:05
Lack of critical thinking in schools and society a concern - Higgins

Lack of critical thinking in schools and society a concern - Higgins

President says that Emmanuel Macron’s ‘rhetoric’ won’t be enough to save Europe

Thu Nov 16 2017 - 20:19
Never mind ‘Tiger Mom’, how does one parent ethically?

Never mind ‘Tiger Mom’, how does one parent ethically?

Unthinkable: Parents have no rule book but they can make better or worse arguments for exercising power

Tue Nov 14 2017 - 06:05
Is it ever really okay to forgive terrorist atrocities?

Is it ever really okay to forgive terrorist atrocities?

The 30th anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing raises questions over the ethics of forgiveness

Wed Nov 08 2017 - 18:08
What does the rise of China mean for western values?

What does the rise of China mean for western values?

Unthinkable: Chinese philosophy advocates virtue and social harmony – two things badly needed in public life

Tue Nov 07 2017 - 06:05
What future has the essay in a social media age?

What future has the essay in a social media age?

Unthinkable: Despite today’s fashion for talking in tweets, there’s life in the old art form

Tue Oct 31 2017 - 06:05
Pragmatism: A philosophy that’s as sensible as it is unpopular

Pragmatism: A philosophy that’s as sensible as it is unpopular

Unthinkable: People don’t like to compromise because it means admitting one’s fallibility

Tue Oct 24 2017 - 06:15
Is your school ‘tastefully’ Catholic? The branding of education

Is your school ‘tastefully’ Catholic? The branding of education

Unthinkable: Snobbery surrounding First Communion shows up deep divisions in society

Tue Oct 17 2017 - 06:05
How does anyone become an expert on anything?

How does anyone become an expert on anything?

Unthinkable: To become an expert you need to embrace a set of scientific values

Tue Oct 10 2017 - 06:15
Does the scale of the universe make human life pointless?

Does the scale of the universe make human life pointless?

Unthinkable: Reflecting on our place within the cosmos can be deflating

Tue Oct 03 2017 - 06:01
A new way of thinking about animal welfare

A new way of thinking about animal welfare

Unthinkable: Eating the odd beef steak may be more ethical than living off eggs and fish

Tue Sept 19 2017 - 17:02
Playing video games? No, I’m doing philosophy

Playing video games? No, I’m doing philosophy

Unthinkable: Gaming can teach us ‘how to prepare for death’, a new book argues

Tue Sept 19 2017 - 06:30
A plan to save Europe: Pay every EU citizen a ‘Eurodividend’

A plan to save Europe: Pay every EU citizen a ‘Eurodividend’

Unthinkable: Finland has piloted a basic income scheme; could the EU follow suit?

Tue Sept 12 2017 - 06:15
Why poorly-designed cities are bad for your mental health

Why poorly-designed cities are bad for your mental health

Unthinkable: Bad environmental design can cause stress, alienation and even depression

Tue Sept 05 2017 - 06:15
Onora O’Neill: ‘We have some very skilful faking going on’

Onora O’Neill: ‘We have some very skilful faking going on’

It’s getting harder to distinguish between truth and lies but ‘people can learn to make better judgements’ about who to trust, says the Northern Irish philosopher

Sat Aug 26 2017 - 06:00
Paul Ricoeur:  The philosopher behind Emmanuel Macron

Paul Ricoeur: The philosopher behind Emmanuel Macron

Unthinkable: Macron studied under Ricoeur. What could it mean for his presidency?

Tue May 30 2017 - 10:04
What does sport tell us about morality?

What does sport tell us about morality?

Unthinkable: Each sporting code has its own moral customs but that doesn't necessarily mean all ethics is relative

Wed May 24 2017 - 07:14
Aristotle got it wrong: We have a lot more than five senses

Aristotle got it wrong: We have a lot more than five senses

Unthinkable: Philosophers need to grapple with the ‘symphony of senses’ being discovered by science

Tue May 16 2017 - 06:00
Is it possible for anxiety to be cured?

Is it possible for anxiety to be cured?

Unthinkable: The philosopher may give you a very different answer to the therapist

Tue May 09 2017 - 05:00
How to spot when politicians are misrepresenting science

How to spot when politicians are misrepresenting science

Unthinkable: Cherry-picking facts and nitpicking are common political ploys

Tue May 02 2017 - 01:00
Who should you trust and why?

Who should you trust and why?

Unthinkable: We should cut experts more slack for telling us what we don’t want to hear, says philosopher Lizzie Fricker

Tue Apr 25 2017 - 06:00
Idlers of the world unite: Why the work ethic needs to be resisted

Idlers of the world unite: Why the work ethic needs to be resisted

Unthinkable: The problems of modern labour call for a ‘collective and structural solution’, says David Frayne

Mon Apr 17 2017 - 08:00
Dear atheists, please stop calling religion a meme

Dear atheists, please stop calling religion a meme

Unthinkable: ‘Catholic agnostic’ Gary Gutting criticises pseudoscientific putdowns of religion

Sun Apr 09 2017 - 08:00
Can science ever tell us whether free will exists?

Can science ever tell us whether free will exists?

Brain experiments have yet to shed light on the ‘freedom that matters’, says philosopher Markus Schlosser

Sun Apr 02 2017 - 01:00
In defence of hedonism

In defence of hedonism

Unthinkable: Far from being party people, true hedonists are sensible individuals

Mon Mar 27 2017 - 17:59
How do we distinguish good businesses from evil ones?

How do we distinguish good businesses from evil ones?

Unthinkable: Companies have a duty to provide ‘meaning’ in society. An anti-evil slogan isn't enough

Mon Mar 20 2017 - 15:58
Unthinkable: What lies behind your self-esteem?

Unthinkable: What lies behind your self-esteem?

Flourishing in life starts with putting trust in yourself, argues philosopher Anna Bortolan

Tue Mar 14 2017 - 09:58
Christian Brothers withdrawal is not first clash over divestment

Christian Brothers withdrawal is not first clash over divestment

Entity managing property interests initially refused to surrender vacant school premises

Fri Mar 10 2017 - 12:17
Unthinkable: How do we ‘know’ anything?

Unthinkable: How do we ‘know’ anything?

Relativist thinkers are providing a ‘smokescreen’ for the likes of Donald Trump, warns professor of logic Timothy Williamson

Mon Mar 06 2017 - 09:28
Why not taking offence will make you – and the world – better

Why not taking offence will make you – and the world – better

Unthinkable: Donald Trump may make your skin crawl but your anger ‘destroys you’ not him, argues Brant Hansen

Tue Feb 21 2017 - 00:00
Unthinkable: Why ‘meaning’ should be part of the school vocabulary

Unthinkable: Why ‘meaning’ should be part of the school vocabulary

Students should ask ‘what’s the point?’ rather than ‘how many points?’

Mon Feb 20 2017 - 16:40
Enda Kenny’s ‘mea culpa’: the science of false memory

Enda Kenny’s ‘mea culpa’: the science of false memory

Research shows faulty recall is more likely to happen when you are stressed or overloaded

Wed Feb 15 2017 - 11:08
Unthinkable: Why it makes sense to be a neo-Luddite

Unthinkable: Why it makes sense to be a neo-Luddite

AI is displacing jobs – we need a ‘union 2.0’ to fight back, says William Myers

Mon Feb 13 2017 - 14:03
Have you ever had ‘unjust sex’?

Have you ever had ‘unjust sex’?

Unthinkable: Examples include ‘women being pressured – not quite to the point of outright coercion – to have sex, or to have sex without contraception’, says philosopher Ann Cahill

Sun Feb 05 2017 - 15:32
Why new technology is draining meaning from your job

Why new technology is draining meaning from your job

Job insecurity and technology have created a crisis in today’s workplace

Sat Feb 04 2017 - 06:00
Unthinkable: Should we always put human rights first?

Unthinkable: Should we always put human rights first?

‘Empowerment is crucial for people with impaired capacity’ but it isn’t the only thing of value, says Prof Mary Donnelly

Mon Jan 30 2017 - 15:02
Five signs you share Donald Trump’s ‘gapped’ logic

Five signs you share Donald Trump’s ‘gapped’ logic

The US president’s rhetoric has the hallmarks of a cognitive ‘stuttering’ that’s creeping into schools, argues Fiachra Long

Mon Jan 23 2017 - 13:37
Unthinkable: The Islamic thinker who ‘proved’ God exists

Unthinkable: The Islamic thinker who ‘proved’ God exists

Medieval philosophers don’t get much attention these days but Avicenna deserves it, says Prof Peter Adamson

Mon Jan 16 2017 - 16:07
Unthinkable: We lie to ourselves more than to others

Unthinkable: We lie to ourselves more than to others

Self-deception is rife, says Colm Fitzgerald, and our education system is to blame

Mon Jan 09 2017 - 10:51
Does a disability necessarily make you worse off?

Does a disability necessarily make you worse off?

‘Being disabled is a way of being a minority,’ says philosopher Elizabeth Barnes

Tue Dec 13 2016 - 01:01
How Friedrich Nietzsche  helps to explain Brexit

How Friedrich Nietzsche helps to explain Brexit

Unthinkable: The German philosopher foresaw the rise of ‘petty politics’ in Europe, says author Hugo Drochon

Mon Dec 05 2016 - 20:54
Why Ireland’s citizens’ assembly is a model for Europe

Why Ireland’s citizens’ assembly is a model for Europe

Unthinkable: Deliberative democracy experiment shows Ireland ‘trusts its citizens, instead of fearing them’

Sun Nov 27 2016 - 16:38
How religion can be taught in a ‘neutral’ way

How religion can be taught in a ‘neutral’ way

Irish schools introducing the new ‘religions and ethics’ course can learn from the Berlin experience

Mon Nov 21 2016 - 19:30
Teach philosophy to heal our ‘post-truth’ society, says President Higgins

Teach philosophy to heal our ‘post-truth’ society, says President Higgins

President highlights need for citizens to identify ‘illusory rhetoric’ after recent events

Sun Nov 20 2016 - 18:24
Let’s reimagine democracy: replace elections with lotteries

Let’s reimagine democracy: replace elections with lotteries

Brexit and the Trump presidency are making people ask whether the current form of democracy is the best we can do

Sat Nov 19 2016 - 06:00
Want a kinder world? Then seek help

Want a kinder world? Then seek help

‘To be truly benevolent we should solicit the kindness of others,’ argues lecturer Seán Moran

Tue Nov 15 2016 - 11:06
World Philosophy Day: We need to start talking about life’s ‘meaning’

World Philosophy Day: We need to start talking about life’s ‘meaning’

If the world stops making sense, call the philosopher

Tue Nov 15 2016 - 01:00
Has democracy become a threat to the planet?

Has democracy become a threat to the planet?

Unthinkable: Democratic politics have not been good to the environment, but it needn’t be so, says Diarmuid Torney

Mon Nov 07 2016 - 15:09
What Aristotle can teach us about friendship

What Aristotle can teach us about friendship

Something you won’t hear on Facebook: only the virtuous can be true friends

Tue Nov 01 2016 - 01:00
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