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Articles by subject: philosophy

No fire, no brimstone: An interview with Alain de Botton (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2012 ): Alain de Botton thinks atheists should take the best ideas from religion, and leave the bad stuff behind. Caspar Melville goes in search of enlightenment
D'oh my God: faith in The Simpsons (by Andrew Mueller, January/February 2012 ): This year, The Simpsons celebrate their 25th birthday and their 500th episode. Andrew Mueller pays homage to the family we can all believe in
Book review: Towards a New Manifesto by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (by Nina Power, January/February 2012 ): Nina Power puzzles over a heavyweight intellectual partnership
The last Crusade (by Kenan Malik, November/December 2011 ): The claim that Christianity provides the bedrock of Western culture might serve the interests of extremists, but it is a betrayal of a far more complex history, argues Kenan Malik
Dissing God (by Jonathan Rée, November/December 2011 ): Long before the New Atheists, believers – from Job to Heinrich Heine – were picking fights with the Almighty, says Jonathan Rée
Walk the tightrope (by John Burnside, November/December 2011 ): We don’t need religion, but mystical traditions still have a lot to teach us, says John Burnside
Book review: The Pursuits of Philosophy by Jenny Bunker (by Jenny Bunker, November/December 2011 ): Jenny Bunker enjoys an unusual introduction to Hume
Varieties of irreligious experience (by Jonathan Rée, September/October 2011 ): There are many ways not to believe. Jonathan Rée on the evoluton of atheist thought
Human folly (by Matthew Adams, September/October 2011 ): Half a millennium ago a book by a Catholic theologian unwittingly ignited a secular revolution. Matthew Adams salutes Erasmus
Book review: Humanity 2.0 by Steve Fuller (by Angela Saini, September/October 2011 ): Angela Saini is frustrated by Steve Fuller
Book review: The Tyranny of Choice by Renata Salecl (by Nina Power, September/October 2011 ): Nina Power appreciates a sharp critique of consumerism
No doubt (by Mano Singham, July/August 2011 ): Since there is nothing useful about the God hypothesis, we can happily discard it. Physicist Mano Singham makes the scientific case for atheism
Undiscovered (by Raymond Tallis, July/August 2011 ): A misreading of science has persuaded us that we are no more than our evolved brains. But, argues Raymond Tallis, a more expansive philosophy of humanity is mounting a fight-back
Book review: The Matter With Us by John Rawles (by Richard Norman, July/August 2011 ): Richard Norman explores the matter of the human predicament
Test-tube truths (by Kenan Malik, May/June 2011 ): Should science guide our moral decisions? Kenan Malik puts Sam Harris's latest argument under the microscope
Trace elements: Laurie Taylor interviews Stuart Hall (by Laurie Taylor, May/June 2011 ): Stuart Hall talks to Laurie Taylor about race, relativism and revolution
Rhyme & reason (by Jonathan Rée, March/April 2011 ): 200 years ago Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled from Oxford for publishing ‘The Necessity of Atheism’. Jonathan Rée reassesses the romantic poet’s rationalism
Book review: Justice for Hedgehogs by Ronald Dworkin (by Conor Gearty, March/April 2011 ): Conor Gearty takes a tour round Ronald Dworkin's remarkable mind
Editorial: Big books (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2011 ): Bibles, doubt and morality without God
Delusions of grandeur (by Laurie Taylor, January/February 2011 ): Information systems professor Ian Angell tells Laurie Taylor where science has gone wrong
Against humanism (by Mary Midgley, November/December 2010 ): Of course we should love, honour and cherish our species, says Mary Midgley. But should we have to worship it too?
Diary: What did the Romans ever do for us? (by Natalie Haynes, November/December 2010 ): Nothing, it turns out. They did it all for themselves, the selfish so-and-sos. Natalie Haynes explains
Antichrist (by Jonathan Rée, November/December 2010 ): Likeable anarchist, modest Übermensch, atheist preacher – Jonathan Rée is delighted by the paradoxical philosopher
No nonsense: Laurie Taylor interviews Mary Warnock (by Laurie Taylor, September/October 2010 ): Philosopher Mary Warnock tells Laurie Taylor why religion and politics shouldn’t mix
Q&A: Marilynne Robinson (by Editorial Staff, September/October 2010 ): She has won the Pulitzer and Orange prizes for her fiction, and been called the greatest writer of prose in the English language. With her new book she enters the God debate. We talk to Marilynne Robinson, author of Absence of Mind
Book review: Learning to Live: Philosophy for Beginners by Luc Ferry (by AC Grayling, September/October 2010 ): AC Grayling learns to live without God
Book review: The Coming of the Body by Hervé Juvin (by Owen Hatherley, September/October 2010 ): Owen Hatherley embraces the society of the body
Variety (by Jonathan Rée, July/August 2010 ): The American philosopher William James died a hundred years ago. Jonathan Rée calls for a return to his humane example
Who are you calling a fanatic? (by Alberto Toscano, July/August 2010 ): Rationalists should think twice about using a term which has, in its day, been used to condemn those who struggle for freedom and equality, says Alberto Toscano
Gloom merchant (by Roger Scruton, May/June 2010 ): To be truly happy we must be pessimistic, says Roger Scruton
Book Review: On Evil by Terry Eagleton (by AC Grayling, May/June 2010 ): Beneath the diaphanous veil of ambiguity, the wit and the nuance-sense Terry Eagleton fails to get to the real heart of darkness, says AC Grayling
Thinkers: Voltaire (by Ian Davidson, May/June 2010 ): Fame and fortune allowed the great 18th-century writer to challenge the powers of the state, says Ian Davidson
Beyond nature (by Raymond Tallis, March/April 2010 ): The human finger points the way to what makes us truly human, say Raymond Tallis
Man & other beasts (by John Appleby, March/April 2010 ): Humanism is under attack in the academy for its assumption of man’s superiority over animals. John Appleby visits the intellectual borderland between humans and animals
Head to head (by AC Grayling, January/February 2010 ): When we heard that Tzvetan Todorov, author of In Defence of the Enlightenment, was coming to London we couldn’t resist getting him together with our very own contemporary philosophe, AC Grayling, to discuss the new book and the legacy of the great 18th-century republic of letters
Logicomix: An Epic Search for the Truth by Apostolous Doxiadis & Christos Papadimitriou (by Marcus Chown, January/February 2010 ): Marcus Chown enjoys a graphic maths lesson
Editorial: Bishops, belief and barnets (by Caspar Melville, January/February 2010 ): Catholic child abuse scandals highlight the dangers of religious privilege
Better, juster, nobler (by Jonathan Rée, November/December 2009 ): A new collection of his essays on religion suggest that JS Mill is just the enlightened infidel we need today, says Jonathan Rée
Beyond belief (by Richard Norman, November/December 2009 ): Some sophisticated arguments for God have been made in response to the New Atheists. Richard Norman puts the ‘New Believers’ to the test. Illustrations by Irene Fuga
Living the life (by Fred Inglis, November/December 2009 ): Should philosophers practise what they preach? And if so, who would deserve a contemporary nomination? asks Fred Inglis
What happened to the women's movement? (by Elizabeth Wilson, November/December 2009 ): Elizabeth Wilson reviews two new books on how to revive feminism
First As Tragedy, Then As Farce by Slavoj Žižek (by Owen Hatherley, November/December 2009 ): Owen Hatherley finds Žižek actually making sense
Life laid waste (by Jonathan Rée, September/October 2009 ): The exiled Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski died in Oxford in July, at the age of 81. Jonathan Rée examines the legacy of a disillusioned socialist humanist
Thinking animal (by Simon Blackburn, September/October 2009 ): Darwinism has profound implications for philosophy, but we need to remember the master’s caution, warns Simon Blackburn
Think again (by Nina Power, September/October 2009 ): Postmodern theory can be pretentious and overblown. But a series of reissues now attempts to reclaim its importance. Nina Power assesses its impact
Atheism in Christianity by Ernst Bloch (by Owen Hatherley, September/October 2009 ): Owen Hatherley sings the praises of Ernst Bloch, the prophet of serious atheism
Truth, hope and light (by Susan Neiman, July/August 2009 ): The language of morality has been hijacked by the Right and the religious, argues Susan Neiman. It’s about time those who value reason took it back
Liberty, the Left and Lolita (by Jonathan Rée, July/August 2009 ): Jonathan Rée assesses the legacy of Isaiah Berlin, a man so clever he could understand his own writing
God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam (by Nina Power, July/August 2009 ): Nina Power on a good Dark Ages argument made for the wrong reasons
The art of phwoar (by Michael Bywater, May/June 2009 ): Free websites like Pornhub mean that explicit sex films are only a click away. But are they any good? Michael Bywater offers a classical critique
Freedom's foghorn (by Roger Davidson, May/June 2009 ): Happy Birthday Tom Paine: Jan 29. Here's something we prepared earlier...Roger Davidson marks the 200th anniversary of the passing of Tom Paine, an inspirational ego
The Monstrosity of Christ: Paradox or Dialectic? by Slavoj Žižek and John Milbank (by Nina Power, May/June 2009 ): Nina Power tires of Slavoj Žižek and his monstrous essays
On the trail of the red pilgrims (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2009 ): The philosopher Michail Ryklin tells Caspar Melville what really motivated communism's faithful followers
Book Review: Questions of Truth: God, Science and Belief by John Polkinghorne and Nicholas Beale (by AC Grayling, March/April 2009 ): AC Grayling rips into the latest attempt to bridge the God-science gap
Moral dilemmas (by Steven Lukes, March/April 2009 ): Do we have the right to judge others? Steven Lukes reviews the evidence
Why Socrates Died by Robin Waterfield (by Jenny Bunker, March/April 2009 ): Jenny Bunker never quite learns what really killed Socrates
True disbelievers (by Theodore Dalrymple, January/February 2009 ): Being faith-less is no excuse for rewriting history, says Theodore Dalrymple
The Philosopher and the Wolf by Mark Rowlands (by Nina Power, November/December 2008 ): Nina Power takes philosophy lessons from a wolf
Aquinas and Modernity by Shadia Drury (by Jenny Bunker, November/December 2008 ): Jenny Bunker rues a missed opportunity
Thinkers: Thomas Aquinas (by Shadia Drury, November/December 2008 ): Thomas Aquinas does not deserve his reputation as a friend of reason, argues Shadia Drury
Without illusions (by Doug Ireland, September/October 2008 ): Doug Ireland welcomes a passionate and practical approach to secularism
What lies beneath (by Paul Heelas, September/October 2008 ): Even godless humanism needs a sense of the spiritual, says Paul Heelas
The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life by Austin Dacey (by Jenny Bunker, September/October 2008 ): Jenny Bunker is at ease with a secular conscience
Nobility of Spirit: A Forgotten Ideal by Rob Riemen (by Jenny Bunker, July/August 2008 ): Jenny Bunker sips the spirit of nobility
Writing on the wall (by Daniel Miller, May/June 2008 ): Henri Lefebvre, the theoretician of the Paris uprising of 1968, saw that society’s most profound truths were etched on everyday life, discovers Daniel Miller
Thinkers: Face to face (by Roger Davidson, May/June 2008 ): Heidegger’s former disciple Emmanuel Levinas, a victim of Nazism, pioneered a humanism for the 21st century argues Roger Davidson
The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley (by Simon May, May/June 2008 ): Simon May comes face to face with mortality
Spongers (by Julian Baggini, March/April 2008 ): Why shouldn’t people have to earn the right to be housed? Julian Baggini gets back to basics
Happy birthday humanism (by Bill Cooke, March/April 2008 ): For two centuries one word has symbolised the battle against extremism, says Bill Cooke
Thinker: Simone de Beauvoir (by Toril Moi, March/April 2008 ): The feminist icon was dedicated to freedom for all humanity, says Toril Moi
Acting up (by John Clark, January/February 2008 ): He speaks approvingly of Lenin and Robespierre and packs lecture halls across the world. But is “stand-up philosopher” Slavoj Žižek serious? asks John Clark
Taking liberties (by Stein Ringen, January/February 2008 ): True freedom requires not wealth but faith, says social theorist Stein Ringen
The closing of the Christian mind (by Charles Freeman, January/February 2008 ): In the late fourth century political expediency led a ruthless Roman emperor to shut down debate within the Christian church. Charles Freeman explains
Holy communion (by Richard Norman, November/December 2007 ): New wave atheism is aggressively antagonistic to religion. But, argues Richard Norman, it’s more fruitful to find common ground
Nihil Unbound by Ray Brassier (by Daniel Miller, November/December 2007 ): Daniel Miller gets to grips with nihilism
Native son (by Murray Pittock, September/October 2007 ): 175 years after the death of Scotland’s most celebrated novelist, Murray Pittock asks if Walter Scott was an enemy of the Enlightenment, or its champion
Thinker: Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach (by Nina Power, September/October 2007 ): Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach was the man who brought religion down to earth, says Nina Power
Atheism à la mode (by Caspar Melville, July/August 2007 ): What is the outspoken French atheist philosopher Michel Onfray really saying? Caspar Melville meets him and canvasses some expert opinion.
Through the looking glass (by AC Grayling, July/August 2007 ): AC Grayling finds that in the work of leading philosopher John Gray, everything is the wrong way round and upside down
High Flyer: Richard Rorty obituary (by Danny Postel, July/August 2007 ): Danny Postel remembers the daring philosophy of Richard Rorty, who died in June 2007
Gurus of endless war (by Shadia Drury, May/June 2007 ): Rumsfeld resigned, Wolfowitz ousted, Fukuyama defected, 'Scooter' Libby convicted. You could be forgiven for thinking that neoconservatives have had their day. But that would be a grave error, warns political philosopher Shadia Drury
Thinker: Adam Smith (by Nicholas Phillipson, March/April 2007 ): Nicholas Phillipson explains why the ideas of Adam Smith are still common currency today
Logics of Disintegration: Post-Structuralist Thought and the Claims of Critical Theory by Peter Dews (by Daniel Miller, January/February 2007 ): Daniel Miller reconsiders post-structuralism with Peter Dews
Thinker: David Hume (by Julian Baggini, November/December 2006 ): Julian Baggini celebrates the pragmatic genius of David Hume
Walking the tightrope (by Ramin Jahanbegloo, September/October 2006 ): Ramin Jahanbegloo, one of Iran's pre-eminent intellectuals, was released on bail on August 30, after being held for more than four months in Tehrans notorious Evin prison. He is accused of fomenting a velvet revolution. Here he explains why he feels compelled to champion liberalism
Reasonable bounds (by AC Grayling, July/August 2006 ): Continuing our series reclaiming thinkers for humanism, AC Grayling celebrates Immanuel Kant
Pleasure principles (by Peter Cave, May/June 2006 ): In the second of our series on thinkers who are significant for humanism, Peter Cave marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Stuart Mill
Spinoza the atheist (by Steven Nadler, March/April 2006 ): This reconsideration by Steven Nadler is the first in a series on philosophers who have particular, if sometimes unacknowledged, significance for humanists.
Fail better (by Nina Power, March/April 2006 ): Nina Power says the centenary of Samuel Beckett's birth is worth celebrating
Uncommon decency (by Conor Gearty, January/February 2006 ): We must reclaim the language of human rights, says Conor Gearty
Hare brained (by Nina Power, January/February 2006 ): Nina Power reviews Zeno's Tortoise
Is God a hedgehog? (by Martin Rowson, January/February 2005 ): Martin Rowson has some terrible thoughts
Classic Intellectual (by AC Grayling, January/February 2005 ): AC Grayling admires Umberto Eco's new opus
Grounds for Optimism (by Alison Ainley, November/December 2004 ): Alison Ainley asks a philosopher what it's all about
Shock and awe (by Richard Norman, November/December 2004 ): Is the idea of 'the sacred' available to atheists? Richard Norman navigates the widely differing views at a recent humanist conference
Diderot's triumph (by Haydn Mason, September/October 2004 ): Haydn Mason consults the original humanist bible
Baby talk (by Jonathan Rée, July/August 2004 ): Jonathan Rée on the scientist in all of us
Good without God (by Jim Herrick, July/August 2004 ): Jim Herrick reconciles the mystic and the rational
Critical humanism (by AC Grayling, January/February 2004 ): Book Review: AC Grayling on Hope and Memory by Tzvetan Todorov
Rationalism for all? (by Julian Baggini, January/February 2004 ): Julian Baggini on a new book of rationalism
Bad News for Free Will (by Al Mele, January/February 2004 ): The Libet Experiments showed we have no control over our actions. Or did they? Alfred Mele still managed to write a critique of them
Escape from Eden (by Raymond Tallis, November/December 2003 ): Raymond Tallis revisits the big question: what makes humans special?
Philosophy of Terror (by Richard Norman, Winter 2002 ): Richard Norman reviews Ted Honderich's take on terrorism
Freedom From Ghosts (by AC Grayling, Autumn 2002 ): Tzvetan Todorov's Imperfect Garden, reviewed by AC Grayling
The Life of Slime Mold (by Ian Hargreaves, Autumn 2002 ): John Gray's Straw Dogs reviewed by Ian Hargreaves
Mental manoeuvres: The Genetic Fallacy (by Julian Baggini, Summer 2002 ): Philosopher Julian Baggini on the process of thinking
Outlooks on Enlightenment (by Simon Blackburn, Spring 2002 ): Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University and a member of the Humanist Philosophers' Group, takes a look at the relative merits of relativism, scepticism and humanism
Cosmopolitan Emotions? (by Martha Nussbaum, Winter 2001 ): When disaster falls or tragedy strikes, what are the borders of our emotions and our compassion?
What's Wrong With Terrorism? (by Richard Norman, Winter 2001 ): In this article, chair of the Humanist Philosophers' Group, Richard Norman, scrutinises definitions of terrorism.
Materialism, Mechanism and the Human Mind (by Kenan Malik, Autumn 2001 ): Are humans exceptional? That is have they developed beyond their evolved state? And what is the nature of human experience and behaviour asks Kenan Malik
Thoughts on Animals (by Julian Baggini, Summer 2001 ): Philosopher Julian Baggini asks who should speak for the animals
Natural Born Philosophers (by Stephen Law, Summer 2001 ): Children are natural born philosophers argues Stephen Law
Philosophy beneath the clouds (by Orlando Radice, Summer 2001 ): Orlando Radice talks to Nigel Warburton
To tell the truth (by Daniel Dennett, Spring 2001 ): Is belief in religion and belief in science the same kind of thing, asks philosopher Daniel Dennett
Reason, the slave of passions (by Sir Ludovic Kennedy, Summer 1999 ): My own god is David Hume say Ludovic Kennedy
Trust within Reason (by Haydn Mason, Summer 1999 ): Haydn Mason on different forms of rationalism
Against the faith (by Steve Fuller, Web Exclusive, September 2008): In a world where Neo-Darwinism is the new dogma, Intelligent Design is right to challenge orthodoxy – sociologist Steve Fuller responds to AC Grayling
Bolus of nonsense (by AC Grayling, Web Exclusive, September 2008): In the third part of our their exchange, AC Grayling responds to Steve Fuller’s defence of his book Dissent over Descent
Probably? Not! (by Michael Neumann, Web Exclusive, July 2009): Atheists shouldn’t be afraid to be certain, says Michael Neumann
How to defend the Enlightenment (by AC Grayling, Web Exclusive, January 2010): A full transcript of the discussion between Anthony Grayling and Tzvetan Todorov in London, December 2009
For uselessness! (by Nina Power, Web Exclusive, June 2010): In the UK the axe is falling on philosophy departments. Nina Power reports from the frontline
Doing fine now (by Julian Baggini, Web Exclusive, August 2010): Is the glass half full? Half empty? Just be glad you’ve got a drink says Julian Baggini
Why God's Philosophers did not deserve to be shortlisted for the Royal Society prize (by Charles Freeman, Web Exclusive, October 2010): James Hannam's book is a good read but presents a distorted view of the medieval period and the development of science that suits his Catholic agenda, claims Charles Freeman.
In defence of God's Philosophers (by James Hannam, Web Exclusive, November 2010): Historian James Hannam responds to Charles Freeman's critique of his book on the medieval foundations of modern science, which was nominated for the Royal Society's prize for science books
Science, God's Philosophers and the Dark Ages (by Charles Freeman, Web Exclusive, November 2010): The claims made by James Hannam regarding the birth of modern science in the Middle Ages do not stand up to scrutiny, says Charles Freeman
The man who would be God: an interview with AC Grayling (by Matthew Adams, Web Exclusive, April 2011): Anthony Grayling's latest book is his most daring. He has rewritten the Bible, leaving out God. Matthew Adams meets him
Against the barbarians (by Finn Bowring, Web Exclusive, January 2012): Hannah Arendt’s humanism was not the opposite of religion but of self-absorption and totalitarianism, says Finn Bowring