Find your ‘inner mystic’: Is this the answer to modern melancholy?
Unthinkable: English philosopher and author Simon Critchley suggests we can learn to enjoy ‘idiot glee’ from medieval Christianity
This column is not for cynics: In praise of political innocence
Unthinkable: Was the general election a victory for ‘grown ups’ or a defeat for idealism?
‘It’s cool’ isn’t a good reason for scientists to develop harmful technologies
Unthinkable: Regulating generative AI is important in its own right, but it’s also a dummy run for the existential threat of artificial general intelligence. This will go beyond mimicking human intelligence to conquering it
Mary Lou’s eyeroll and the ‘Simon stare’: The body language in TV leaders’ debate
A behavioural psychologist analyses what was said without words in Tuesday night’s showdown
A philosophical guide to voting: Three big issues to think about
Unthinkable: In the case of voting, the critical question is not the “mom litmus test” but the “child, or future citizen, litmus test”
We are united by common urges: Freedom. Justice. The need to go to the toilet
Unthinkable: Looking for the meaning of life? You may be sitting on the answer
Enoch Burke is someone I’d like to hug
Unthinkable: Ahead of International Men’s Day, it’s clear many young men are not in a happy place
Should it bother you if you’re not as rich as your neighbour?
Five arguments can be put forward in defence of economic inequality
‘God doesn’t make mistakes. If I was trans, it was because I was meant to be’
Unthinkable: Philosopher and author Sophie Grace Chappell believes ideology is the wrong starting point for public discussion
Some people believe animals should have political representation. But which animals?
Unthinkable: Should pigs have a voice but not ants? Should XL Bully dogs have a voice on whether or not they should be banned?
Why ‘they’re eating the dogs’ was a stroke of political genius by Trump
Unthinkable: Politicians who tell lies have an advantage because of what psychologists call the ‘false consensus effect’
I enjoy going to Mass occasionally, an embarrassing admission for an atheist
Praying can allow people to vocalise suppressed emotions or fears, and several studies indicate health benefits
In times of war, ‘we have a duty to hope, as without hope all is lost’
Unthinkable: Always treat humanity not as a means but as an end, said the philosopher Immanuel Kant
Why is ‘news avoidance’ on the rise? The nocebo effect may be playing a part
Unthinkable: The ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect could shed light on why people say consuming the news makes them feel worse
If you’re already planning your next holiday, read this first
Unthinkable: ‘Leisure’ has replaced ‘rest’ in our capitalist society. Even burnout is being monetised