How to ‘die well’ in today’s Ireland: It starts with living a good lifeUnthinkable: Is it time to revive the tradition of ‘ars moriendi’ - the arts of dying?Mon Sept 18 2023 - 06:00
Sinéad O’Connor’s warning about online pile-ons was prophetic in more ways than oneA tradition of linking historical progress to spiritual growth might not be fashionable, but O'Connor deeply understood its meritMon Sept 11 2023 - 06:00
How did the hate speech Bill find itself at the centre of a swirling culture war?Irrespective of whether the Bill makes it into law, individuals and organisations in Irish society must a find a way of being kind while robustly defending free speechMon Aug 07 2023 - 06:30
Is Sam Altman, the ‘father of ChatGPT’, the most important thinker in the world right now?Unthinkable: Artificial intelligence can replace humans in many tasks but don’t discount your own sense of wonderThu Jun 29 2023 - 05:00
Think what’s going on in the gig economy has nothing to do with you? Think againUnthinkable: More and more of us are working for algorithms – and losing some of our rights in the process, says UCD researcher Dr Lorenzo CiniThu Jun 22 2023 - 05:05
Is postmodernism to blame for our society losing its way?Unthinkable: Postmodernists can be found on the left and the right but are united in rejecting the Enlightenment projectThu Jun 15 2023 - 05:00
How Not to Kill Yourself: Portrait of a Suicidal Mind – a source of support and consolationClancy Martin’s excruciatingly honest treatment of the subject makes for a difficult readSat Jun 10 2023 - 05:00
Lessons for the Catholic Church from Census 2023 – get out of schools, chase the lost sheep Unthinkable: Why do almost 70% of the Irish population still identify as Catholic? Where exactly can they be found?Thu Jun 08 2023 - 05:05
Have I got your attention? Seven ways to tell if someone is really listening to youUnthinkable: We may be losing our ability to hear one another. Gerry Dunne, a philosopher who is studying the components of good listening, can helpThu Jun 01 2023 - 05:05
Feeling lost? You’re not alone. But there are ways we can all feel less disorientatedUnthinkable: AI, global warming, war and the pandemic have combined to dizzying effect. There’s no magic elixir – but there are things we can doThu May 25 2023 - 05:05
Lessons for liberals now that it’s their turn to be cancelledUnthinkable: The culture wars are creating new ideological divisions and alliances. Is there a path to peace?Thu May 18 2023 - 05:15
‘Adolf Hitler made the lives of millions of people much worse – but not the life of this author’Unthinkable: The cult-hero philosopher Derek Parfit can ‘discombobulate’ your settled views with his intricate, highly original thoughtThu May 11 2023 - 05:00
Why ‘great man theory’ is a bad idea – even for menUnthinkable: What would our world look like if we listened more to female philosophers?Thu May 04 2023 - 06:39
Should Irish universities introduce mandatory free speech classes?Unthinkable: Defending academic freedom is hindered by confusion about what exactly we are trying to protectThu Apr 27 2023 - 04:30
Is it inherently wrong to be a landlord?Unthinkable: Extracting rent from assets has moved from being ‘marginal’ part of capitalism to a core featureThu Apr 20 2023 - 05:05
How do we gauge how big a mess we’re in? Turn to a historianUnthinkable: Ellie Payne, TCD historian and History of the Future podcast host, makes the case for being glass-half-fullThu Apr 13 2023 - 05:05
Teenage anxiety and smartphones: Is the answer to ban social media?Unthinkable: Evidence linking social media use to depression continues to mount but experts disagree on how best to respondThu Apr 06 2023 - 05:05
If you were in Zelenskiy’s shoes, would you have fled your country?Unthinkable: War in Ukraine has exposed the shallowness of some conceptions of freedom, which crumble when faced with harsh realityThu Mar 30 2023 - 05:05
The Enoch Burke saga and the limits of civil disobedienceUnthinkable: The teacher claims he is being punished for his Christian beliefs, but do acts based on religious conviction merit greater moral weight?Thu Mar 23 2023 - 05:05
How ‘the father of capitalism’ foresaw the rise of Andrew TateUnthinkable: Adam Smith is associated with liberal economic thought, but at heart he was a ‘phenomenal observer of human life’Thu Mar 16 2023 - 05:00
The Banshees of Inisherin: Why one unconvincing detail could spoil the film for youUnthinkable: Is Jenny the donkey believable? Laws of literary criticism invented by Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago can still be applied todayThu Mar 09 2023 - 05:15
Should we really give conspiracy theories more space?Unthinkable: Looking at ‘both sides’ of a story can seem outdated at a time of threats to democracy and the challenge of climate changeThu Mar 02 2023 - 06:00
Are we being spied on? ‘I would recommend suspicion of all countries, including our own’Unthinkable: Citizens should be encouraged ‘to be critical of the news’, says historian Peter Burke, author of Ignorance: A Global HistoryThu Feb 23 2023 - 05:00
How many referendums is too many?Unthinkable: The Constitution is relatively easy to change and that, says TCD’s Prof Aileen Kavanagh, is more a strength than a weaknessThu Feb 16 2023 - 05:00
It’s good to have notions: Why the Irish culture of humility fails the psychology testUnthinkable: People who refuse to accept praise are at higher risk of depression, according to the Irish psychologist Geoff BeattieThu Feb 09 2023 - 05:00
Debate over 16-man Kilmacud is about more than a trophy. The future of moral reasoning is at stakeUnthinkable: Stand-off over ‘fairness’ is emblematic of many disputes in society todayThu Feb 02 2023 - 05:00
ChatGPT is creepily smart, weirdly chummy and a window to your ‘extended mind’Unthinkable: AI won’t need to defend against a kill switch – you are its defenceThu Jan 26 2023 - 05:00
What happens when morally iffy work becomes part of your job?Unthinkable: Moral distress is a workplace problem we ignore at our perilThu Jan 19 2023 - 05:00
How Sartre’s theory of ‘self’ can explain all of humanity - even Elon MuskUnthinkable: The French philosopher believed it is possible to know everything there is to know about another personThu Jan 12 2023 - 05:00
Is identity politics the answer to racism?Unthinkable: Writer Kenan Malik has produced a thought-provoking ‘retelling of the story of race’Thu Jan 05 2023 - 05:00
Landmark philosophy debate has an answer - 74 years laterUnthinkable: A novel theory of natural types may provide the key to Yuletide peaceThu Dec 22 2022 - 05:00
Are you living a ‘provisional life’? Time to get stuck in!Unthinkable: You wait for one book to answer ‘the meaning of life’ and then three come along at onceThu Dec 15 2022 - 05:05
Does ‘it’ feel pain? How a pronoun can desensitize us in our attitude to animalsUnthinkable: A new book on animal dreams pushes us to rethink their moral statusThu Dec 08 2022 - 05:00
Is it ethical to stay on Twitter now Elon Musk is in charge?Unthinkable: Each week sees new departures from the social media platform. Have you a moral obligation to join them?Thu Dec 01 2022 - 05:05
Why Socrates would go for a plant-based diet, and other insights into the philosophy of foodUnthinkable: Chasing maximum pleasure is counterproductive for the individual and the wider worldThu Nov 24 2022 - 05:05
Climate defeatism: If we are already doomed, why bother?Unthinkable: Political theorist Catriona McKinnon has a message for those feeling fatalistic about climate changeThu Nov 17 2022 - 05:05
What would a ‘just exit’ to war in Ukraine look like?Is there a 'just exit' to the war in Ukraine and could tactical pacifism play a role?Thu Nov 10 2022 - 05:00
Why free speech is more complicated than Elon Musk makes outUnthinkable: Familiarising ourselves with different arguments on whether to regulate speech can help us to find a compromiseThu Nov 03 2022 - 05:00
Put down your phone, get to know your neighbours, and other ways to become less anxiousUnthinkable: The psychoanalyst and author Stephen Grosz says that human contact is more important than ever – and that stories are a good way inThu Oct 27 2022 - 05:00
Could anybody have changed Liz Truss’s mind? Not according to this ethics expertUnthinkable: Virtue becomes more central to your nature the more you practise it, according to philosophers and psychologistsThu Oct 20 2022 - 05:05
The good side of Twitter: ‘It punishes taking yourself too seriously’Unthinkable: Philosopher Liam Kofi Bright sees pluses and minuses with the social media platformThu Oct 13 2022 - 05:05
‘The past is never past’: Ireland’s history of political violence, and how to deal with itUnthinkable: Author and academic Michael Ignatieff is in Dublin this week exploring how revolutionary history ‘can be used to tip over the democratic wagon’Thu Oct 06 2022 - 05:05
Pope Francis vs Jordan Peterson: two types of self-helpUnthinkable: The pontiff’s new book arrives into a crowded market in which Canadian academic Peterson has become a prominent voiceThu Sept 29 2022 - 05:15
Stuff happens, or does it? The puzzle of causationUnthinkable: Delving into the nature of causes means trying to answer some weird questionsThu Sept 22 2022 - 05:15
How to talk to other people: Just remember your stupid opinion isn’t 100% of who you areUnthinkable: BBC radio presenter Nihal Arthanayake is on a mission to create better conversationsThu Sept 15 2022 - 05:15
The philosophers with the answers to Ireland’s housing crisisUnthinkable: Political theorists from past centuries have some advice ahead of a planned referendum on housingThu Sept 08 2022 - 05:15
How one Dubliner found meaning in a ‘philosophy of suffering’Unthinkable: Viktor Frankl, who died 25 years ago this week, continues to inspire devotion - and some criticismThu Sept 01 2022 - 05:00
What comes after the Great Resignation? Career advice from Simone de BeauvoirUnthinkable: ‘Do not back away from questioning... it will open us to new truths,’ the French philosopher tells usThu Jul 21 2022 - 05:05
The Good-Enough Life: Stop trying to be great in your work, relationships and politicsUnthinkable: Avram Alpert’s new book makes the case for a ‘good enough’ lifeThu Jul 14 2022 - 05:58
Is free speech under threat in Irish universities? A UCD audit raises concernUnthinkable: US non-profit, non-partisan foundation Fire warns against ‘vague’ prohibitions on offensive commentThu Jul 07 2022 - 05:15
