Showing 239 articles
The Proof is in the Pudding
Author: Conor McMahonJuly 21, 2020
We all know the phrase, “the proof is in the pudding.” You don’t want a chef to tell you how great his food is. He has to make it to prove himself. The same should be applied to philosophy. What’s the point of a degree in philosophy if you’re not living it? Epictetus supported this [...]
To Be Or Knot To Be
Author: Aidan MurphyJuly 21, 2020
The Legend of the Gordian Knot tells us of an ordinary man named Gordias who rode into the centre of the Phrygian kingdom on his simple ox-driven cart, unaware that a recent prophecy would announce him, as the newest arrival in town, to be declared King. So the capital was renamed Gordium and Gordias went [...]
Give Me Strength & Gratitude!
Author: Akanksha SanghiJuly 20, 2020
As I began to reflect on how our way of living had changed literally overnight when the lockdown was announced in Mumbai, I realised that like most people, I went through various stages of emotions, doubts, and concerns. There were moments of uncertainty, and confusion about the future, the health of loved ones, the suffering [...]
Dare to Live in Harmony
Author: Shraddha ShettyJuly 20, 2020
The times that we have experienced together in the last few months have been unique. There is no doubt that it has been challenging for many, but my attempt in this article is to highlight the special opportunities that I discovered even in such moments. Due to the lockdown across the world, many were physically [...]
Is Being the Highest Giving ?
Author: Sukesh MotwaniJuly 20, 2020
Deeply inspired by great philanthropists in our times, one often struggles with the dilemma of how and what we can do in terms of charity or social service. Generally, such noble intentions first veer towards sending supplies and relief material to victims of natural disasters, accidents or riots. One might also perhaps commit a part [...]
Will Being a Vegetarian Save the Planet?
Author: Julian ScottJune 22, 2020
In liberal-thinking circles it is fast becoming almost an article of faith that eating meat is bad for the planet and a plant-based diet is the only ethical way forward. In a book entitled The Vegetarian Myth, however, Lierre Keith, who was a vegan for 22 years before ill-health forced her to change her diet, [...]
Hygeia
Author: Pinar AkhanJune 21, 2020
Along with “unprecedented”, it’s probably one of the words that we have heard most in the last three months since the outbreak of Coronavirus: the word “hygiene”. We have been reminded again and again of the importance of following the rules of hygiene to prevent the disease spreading or increasing infections. Through recent discoveries and [...]
Human Symbiosis with Plants
Author: Gareth KinsellaJune 21, 2020
Over the course of time, there has been a progressive coevolution between plants and humans, with domestication possibly playing an integral role in this symbiosis. Some anthropologists propose that, before plant domestication began, carnivorous hunter gatherers had to seek alternative options during droughts, subsequently tapping into the seasonal cycles, and would have started remembering where [...]
Self-driving Cars and the Transport Revolution
Author: Istvan OrbanJune 21, 2020
Since the Ford T-model appeared on the roads at the dawn of the 20th century, cars have undergone great changes, not just in terms of form, but also regarding performance and safety. Even the fuel has changed and now more and more hybrid and electric cars are running, but one thing has remained: the need [...]
Fortitude in the Face of Difficulties
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánJune 13, 2020
When 2020 began, we did not yet know the extent of the difficult times we would have to face. A short time later came the spread of a pandemic, which affected most – if not all – countries in the world, showing that in such cases what we regard as differences do not exist. We [...]
From Obstacle to Opportunity
Author: Gilad SommerJune 1, 2020
A Story of Exile The year was 65 AD, a little less than a hundred years after the assassination of Julius Caesar and the foundation of the Roman Empire. Musonius Rufus, the foremost Stoic philosopher of his times, known by some as the “Roman Socrates”, was accused by emperor Nero to have participated in a [...]
Altruism Exists, and We Need to Cultivate it
Author: Sabine LeitnerApril 26, 2020
There are two quotes from the book Altruism – the Science and Psychology of Kindness by Matthieu Ricard that sum up what is wrong with our world. “To change what we do because something is going to happen in one hundred years is, I would say, profoundly weird.” This was a comment made by the [...]