How secular should the state be?Unthinkable: Ireland needs to design its own model of separating religions from stateMon Mar 12 2018 - 05:30
Does inequality really matter?Unthinkable: ‘Luck egalitarianism’ reminds us that citizens don’t operate on a level playing fieldTue Mar 06 2018 - 22:23
Is it unreasonable to believe in miracles?Unthinkable: It’s hard to envisage ever being able to prove a miracle took placeMon Feb 26 2018 - 15:46
Enlightenment Now: A Manifesto for Science, Reason, Humanism and Progress by Stephen Pinker reviewOn economic matters, and especially the question of inequality, he comes perilously close to defending the status quoSat Feb 24 2018 - 06:00
Why we need ‘community philosophy’Unthinkable: Anyone can be a philosopher – if you’re open-minded enoughTue Feb 20 2018 - 01:30
In praise of the political U-turnUnthinkable: A political system that trades in certainties carries dangersTue Feb 13 2018 - 01:30
To infinity and beyond: The numbers game behind God’s ‘existence’Unthinkable: The nature of reality may depend on whether the infinite is comprehensibleTue Feb 06 2018 - 01:30
Have human rights created an ‘entitlement’ culture?Unthinkable: Concern about ‘rights inflation’ has led to a renewed focus on moral dutiesTue Jan 30 2018 - 01:05
Do you let clichés and slogans do the thinking for you?Unthinkable: We all use ‘potted thinking’ but it carries added risks in this social media ageSun Jan 21 2018 - 20:40
Does Catholic opinion deserve special reverence in Ireland?No, says Fr Gerry O’Hanlon, but we would all benefit from a more civil debateTue Jan 16 2018 - 04:30
The Ordinary Virtues review: Words of wisdom from Michael IgnatieffLiberals will take umbrage at this book – all the more reason why they should read itSat Jan 13 2018 - 06:00
How Peter Sutherland tried in vain to stop the Eighth AmendmentSutherland’s alternative referendum wording may have resulted in a more restrictive abortion regime in the long runSat Jan 13 2018 - 01:01
How to become wise: It takes more than GooglingThe primary location of wisdom is ‘in a person, not a book’, says Prof Paul O’GradyTue Jan 09 2018 - 04:30
Philosophy in the classroom: ‘It’s okay not to find an exact answer’Young Philosopher Awards seeks to recognise critical thinking and communication skillsTue Dec 19 2017 - 01:00
Why did the atheist go to Mass?Apologising, thinking, shaking a stranger’s hand. Good things happen in churchSun Dec 10 2017 - 06:00
Before you join the online mob, think. You could be nextUnthinkable: On social media, people can be cruel while sounding moralTue Dec 05 2017 - 06:05
We talk too much about rights - and not enough about loveUnthinkable: Ethical debate is at risk of becoming ‘cold and impersonal’, Tony Milligan warnsTue Nov 28 2017 - 06:05
Philosophers on the ‘intriguing ethics’ of sex robotsUnthinkable: Sexbots are under development. Don't ban them, an academic team advisesTue Nov 21 2017 - 06:05
Lack of critical thinking in schools and society a concern - HigginsPresident says that Emmanuel Macron’s ‘rhetoric’ won’t be enough to save EuropeThu Nov 16 2017 - 20:19
Never mind ‘Tiger Mom’, how does one parent ethically?Unthinkable: Parents have no rule book but they can make better or worse arguments for exercising powerTue Nov 14 2017 - 06:05
Is it ever really okay to forgive terrorist atrocities?The 30th anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing raises questions over the ethics of forgivenessWed Nov 08 2017 - 18:08
What does the rise of China mean for western values?Unthinkable: Chinese philosophy advocates virtue and social harmony – two things badly needed in public lifeTue Nov 07 2017 - 06:05
What future has the essay in a social media age?Unthinkable: Despite today’s fashion for talking in tweets, there’s life in the old art formTue Oct 31 2017 - 06:05
Pragmatism: A philosophy that’s as sensible as it is unpopularUnthinkable: People don’t like to compromise because it means admitting one’s fallibilityTue Oct 24 2017 - 06:15
Is your school ‘tastefully’ Catholic? The branding of educationUnthinkable: Snobbery surrounding First Communion shows up deep divisions in societyTue Oct 17 2017 - 06:05
How does anyone become an expert on anything?Unthinkable: To become an expert you need to embrace a set of scientific valuesTue Oct 10 2017 - 06:15
Does the scale of the universe make human life pointless?Unthinkable: Reflecting on our place within the cosmos can be deflatingTue Oct 03 2017 - 06:01
A new way of thinking about animal welfareUnthinkable: Eating the odd beef steak may be more ethical than living off eggs and fishTue Sept 19 2017 - 17:02
Playing video games? No, I’m doing philosophyUnthinkable: Gaming can teach us ‘how to prepare for death’, a new book arguesTue Sept 19 2017 - 06:30
A plan to save Europe: Pay every EU citizen a ‘Eurodividend’Unthinkable: Finland has piloted a basic income scheme; could the EU follow suit?Tue Sept 12 2017 - 06:15
Why poorly-designed cities are bad for your mental healthUnthinkable: Bad environmental design can cause stress, alienation and even depressionTue Sept 05 2017 - 06:15
Onora O’Neill: ‘We have some very skilful faking going on’It’s getting harder to distinguish between truth and lies but ‘people can learn to make better judgements’ about who to trust, says the Northern Irish philosopherSat Aug 26 2017 - 06:00
Paul Ricoeur: The philosopher behind Emmanuel MacronUnthinkable: Macron studied under Ricoeur. What could it mean for his presidency?Tue May 30 2017 - 10:04
What does sport tell us about morality?Unthinkable: Each sporting code has its own moral customs but that doesn't necessarily mean all ethics is relativeWed May 24 2017 - 07:14
Aristotle got it wrong: We have a lot more than five sensesUnthinkable: Philosophers need to grapple with the ‘symphony of senses’ being discovered by scienceTue May 16 2017 - 06:00
Is it possible for anxiety to be cured?Unthinkable: The philosopher may give you a very different answer to the therapistTue May 09 2017 - 05:00
How to spot when politicians are misrepresenting scienceUnthinkable: Cherry-picking facts and nitpicking are common political ploysTue May 02 2017 - 01:00
Who should you trust and why?Unthinkable: We should cut experts more slack for telling us what we don’t want to hear, says philosopher Lizzie FrickerTue Apr 25 2017 - 06:00
Idlers of the world unite: Why the work ethic needs to be resistedUnthinkable: The problems of modern labour call for a ‘collective and structural solution’, says David FrayneMon Apr 17 2017 - 08:00
Dear atheists, please stop calling religion a memeUnthinkable: ‘Catholic agnostic’ Gary Gutting criticises pseudoscientific putdowns of religionSun Apr 09 2017 - 08:00
Can science ever tell us whether free will exists?Brain experiments have yet to shed light on the ‘freedom that matters’, says philosopher Markus SchlosserSun Apr 02 2017 - 01:00
In defence of hedonismUnthinkable: Far from being party people, true hedonists are sensible individualsMon Mar 27 2017 - 17:59
How do we distinguish good businesses from evil ones?Unthinkable: Companies have a duty to provide ‘meaning’ in society. An anti-evil slogan isn't enoughMon Mar 20 2017 - 15:58
Unthinkable: What lies behind your self-esteem?Flourishing in life starts with putting trust in yourself, argues philosopher Anna BortolanTue Mar 14 2017 - 09:58
Christian Brothers withdrawal is not first clash over divestmentEntity managing property interests initially refused to surrender vacant school premisesFri Mar 10 2017 - 12:17
Unthinkable: How do we ‘know’ anything?Relativist thinkers are providing a ‘smokescreen’ for the likes of Donald Trump, warns professor of logic Timothy WilliamsonMon Mar 06 2017 - 09:28
Why not taking offence will make you – and the world – betterUnthinkable: Donald Trump may make your skin crawl but your anger ‘destroys you’ not him, argues Brant HansenTue Feb 21 2017 - 00:00
Unthinkable: Why ‘meaning’ should be part of the school vocabularyStudents should ask ‘what’s the point?’ rather than ‘how many points?’Mon Feb 20 2017 - 16:40
Enda Kenny’s ‘mea culpa’: the science of false memoryResearch shows faulty recall is more likely to happen when you are stressed or overloadedWed Feb 15 2017 - 11:08
Unthinkable: Why it makes sense to be a neo-LudditeAI is displacing jobs – we need a ‘union 2.0’ to fight back, says William MyersMon Feb 13 2017 - 14:03
