Living the life
Should philosophers practise what they preach? And if so, who would deserve a contemporary nomination? asks Fred Inglis
Ideas
Beyond belief
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
Better, juster, nobler
A new collection of his essays on religion suggest that JS Mill is just the enlightened infidel we need today, says Jonathan Rée
Atheism in Christianity by Ernst Bloch
Owen Hatherley sings the praises of Ernst Bloch, the prophet of serious atheism
Think again
Postmodern theory can be pretentious and overblown. But a series of reissues now attempts to reclaim its importance. Nina Power assesses its impact
Thinking animal
Darwinism has profound implications for philosophy, but we need to remember the master’s caution, warns Simon Blackburn
Life laid waste
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
God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam
Nina Power on a good Dark Ages argument made for the wrong reasons
Liberty, the Left and Lolita
Jonathan Rée assesses the legacy of Isaiah Berlin, a man so clever he could understand his own writing
Truth, hope and light
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