How the advent of the mobile phone has ruined parties
Imaginatively amplified stories of comic disaster have given way to bland shots of people’s faces, says Laurie Taylor.
Mind, Body & Life
Could body modification be a pathway to liberation?
Control of the self should not be underestimated as a form of power.
Reaching rock bottom
The meaning of “alcoholism” is disputed. But seven years ago I realised I had a choice: to drink and die, or to stop drinking and live.
The cost of happiness
Powerful interests benefit from our increased willingness to monitor and meddle with our mental states
The devotion of the tennis fan
To his admirers, Roger Federer represents the ideal of perfection in bodily form.
It might be time to hang up my dancing shoes
After taking a tumble, Laurie Taylor discovers a critical new life point.
Into the woods
The rise in “natural” burials has given architects an opportunity to rethink the way humans relate to the environment.
Forgiveness in a vengeful age
Marina Cantacuzino brings together victims and perpetrators of crime. What can this teach a convicted murderer?
My father and his amoral philosophy of medicine
Laurie Taylor remembers his father, whose atheism was a much a part of his person as his backbone.
In a word: economy
Michael Rosen's column on language and its uses.