Philosophy Now

How should children be educated - through discipline or nurturing curiosity? Philosophers have long disagreed. Matt Qvortrup shares some highlights: philosophynow.org/issues/172/P...

In Prague 22, philosopher Raymond Tallis rides a tram and reflects on what it means to be a thinking, embodied human being moving through history and place. Fittingly for World Book Day, this was the first book ever published by Philosophy Now: philosophynow.org/issues/167/P...

What can philosophy say about grief? Nearly 2,000 years ago, Plutarch faced the death of his young daughter. Read extracts from Plutarch's moving letter to his wife and Massimo Pigliucci's reflection on it: philosophynow.org/issues/172/P...

In The Post-Paralysis Peace Paradox, Cassandra Brandt reflects on how Stoic ideas helped transform enforced stillness into a different kind of freedom: philosophynow.org/issues/172/T...

In Hitchcock’s Rope two students convince themselves that Nietzschean “superiority” idea - the notorious "Übermensch" - justifies murder. Les Jones’ philosophical review (issue 172) suggests that Nietzsche would have begged to differ: philosophynow.org/issues/172/R...

The image of Quintillian debating is by Stephen Lahey and was draw for the article about Quintillian in the Roman Philosophy issue of Philosophy Now, which is out now. philosophynow.org/issues/172

We're delighted to announce that the lively Philosophy Now discussion forum is back online again. It has a new address (canzookia.com). No hidden algorithms, and you can choose from sub-forums covering every area of #philosophy.

In "Brief Lives: Friedrich Nietzsche" (issue 172) Hilarius Bogbinder considers the all too human life of the notorious iconoclast: philosophynow.org/issues/172/F...

For Cicero, virtus - virtue - was not private morality alone, but the foundation of public leadership. Read ‘Cicero & the Ideal of Virtue’ by Abdullah Shaikh in Philosophy Now issue 172: philosophynow.org/issues/172/C...

In "Good Grief!" (issue 172) Tim Madigan tells the story and ponders the philosophy of Peanuts - the iconic cartoon by Charles Schulz, featuring Charlie and Sally Brown, Snoopy, and friends: philosophynow.org/issues/172/G...

In "A Very Short History of Critical Thinking" (issue 172), corporate philosopher Luc de Brabandere summarises a long history through key figures of thought. A fresco by Rodolphe Duprey illustrates the article: philosophynow.org/issues/172/A...

What makes a great speaker? For the Roman educator Quintilian, technique was never enough. The true orator must be formed in character as well as rhetoric. Read The Educational Philosophy of Quintilian by Philip Vassallo (Issue 172, Roman Philosophy dossier): philosophynow.org/issues/172/T...

What if you met all the other lives you might have lived? This puppet adaptation by Tamara Keldany brings to life ‘Me, me, me?’, a philosophical short story by Benjamin George Coles, first published in Philosophy Now Issue 169. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkYE...

In the current issue's Philosophical Haiku, Terence Green turns to Lucretius, the Roman author who used poetry to give contemporary voice to Epicurean philosophy: philosophynow.org/issues/172/L...

In "Identity in the Age of Connectivity" (issue 172), Sara Asran explores how digital life reshapes who we think we are, from what we buy, to what we post, to how we present ourselves to others: philosophynow.org/issues/172/I...

Our new issue 172 looks at the Roman - and Roman-inspired - philosophy. In this opening feature "Machiavelli’s Roman Empire", Samuel Spound explains why the author of The Prince thought about Rome so much - and not for the reasons one might think: philosophynow.org/issues/172/M...

JUST OUT: Issue 172 of Philosophy Now looks at the Roman Philosophy, from Machiavelli’s take on the Roman Republic to Cicero’s ideal of virtus, Quintilian’s surprisingly modern educational insights, and Stoic reflections that still speak to how we live today. philosophynow.org

Did you know that Philosophy Now has "Question of the Month" in every issue, where the best answers by our readers get published and receive book gifts? The current issue's question was "What are the Proper Limits of Free Speech?", published answers here: philosophynow.org/issues/171/W...

In "The Philosophy of William Blake" (issue 171), Mark Vernon looks at the imaginative thinking of an imaginative artist: philosophynow.org/issues/171/T...

Here is a Moral Compass (by Owen Savage, for issue 171), in case you are in need of one. Anything missing? 😉 More art and musings by Owen Savage: oghsavage.substack.com

Art: "Women Within Reason" by Melanie Wu. If philosophy is a club, who gets to set the rules? In "What Women?" (Issue 171), Marcia Yudkin reflects on her early experience in a male-dominated philosophy department: philosophynow.org/issues/171/W...

Eric Comerford overheard Bilbo and Gandalf discussing happiness in the Undying Lands (Issue 171, Fiction): philosophynow.org/issues/171/B...

Meet up fortnightly on Zoom with Dr Anja Steinbauer and other philosophers at midnight (UK time) for a candlelit hour of thinking about life, the universe and everything. The topic for tonight's session is "Home". Come in from 23:45. Sign up at:
www.meetup.com/london-philo...

Are #evolution and #progress - synonyms? In our latest issue 171, Adam Neiblum explores what the difference is, and why it matters: philosophynow.org/issues/171/E...

In “Ancient Indian Wisdom for a Restless Age” (issue 171), Jahnvi Borgohain turns to six classical Indian traditions that offer strikingly different - and surprisingly relevant - ways of thinking about #happiness today: philosophynow.org/issues/171/A...

Waiting for the Out is out on BBC, and critics are raving. We covered release of this teaching philosophy in prison drama based on Andy West's memoir The Life Inside in our latest News, and Philosophy For All has a great recent podcast with Andy: lnk.bio/philosophyfo...

Happy @unesco.org #WorldLogicDay! “Anyone can improve their capacity to reason by learning some #logic,” writes Marianne Talbot in "Critical Reasoning" (issue 106). A great intro to how logic sharpens everyday thinking: philosophynow.org/issues/106/C...

What does Islamic philosophy say about tyranny? Read AmirAli Maleki's overview of some key Islamic thinkers' ideas in issue 171: philosophynow.org/issues/171/O...

Season's Greetings from Philosophy Now! In our archive issue 165, Jimmy Licon asks whether encouraging belief in Santa is naughty or nice, exploring the ethics of belief, truth, and how we actually learn to think for ourselves: philosophynow.org/issues/165/P...

Recent Philosophy Now pieces have asked whether happiness, self-improvement, and meaning really point in the same direction. This cartoon seems less sure. Art © Jon Carter 2025 Read what philosophers have to say on the topic: philosophynow.org