Showing 69 articles
Dunkirk – To live or to survive?
Author: Gilad SommerMarch 27, 2019
“Those men who, in war, seek to preserve their lives at any rate commonly die with shame and ignominy, while those who look upon death as common to all, and unavoidable, and are only solicitous to die with honour, oftener arrive at old age and, while they live, live happier.” (from Xenophon’s Anabasis) As production [...]
The Masses in Modern Philosophy
Author: Istvan OrbanJanuary 25, 2019
In the last century, the role of the masses grew immensely in importance and affected both culture and politics. Philosophy has been using the term masses and mass societies since the 19th century, but we can find statements about masses of people earlier, even in the works of the classical Greek thinkers like Plato. He [...]
Idealism, Philosophy, Volunteering – Three Pathways for Change
Author: Gilad SommerApril 3, 2018
Many of us wish to change the world. But how can it be done? First of all, it is obvious we are not just seeking to change the world – the world is changing anyhow, regardless of what we do. The ancient philosophers wisely stated that the only permanent thing in the world is change. [...]
The Secret Truth of Ceremony
Author: Zarina ScrewvalaApril 2, 2018
Last year we had a very special gathering of philosophers in Mumbai, and I had the privilege of looking after the meals for this wonderful event. A volunteer was helping me and I remember, as we started our first tasting of the many meals to come, she said, “Let’s make this tasting a ceremony!” Suddenly [...]
Daring to Dream of a New and Better World -Q&A with Yaron Barzilay
Author: Manjula NanavatiJanuary 21, 2018
Tall, trim and relaxed in any environment, Yaron Barzilay smiles easily, but weighs his words very carefully. Understated and well-read, he punctuates his conversations unexpectedly, with an incisive colloquial humor that betrays his acute sense of the current socio-economic and political climate, and his capacious grasp of India’s history and mythology. Professionally, Yaron Barzilay is [...]
The Dawn and Decline of Technological Man
Author: Jorge Angel LivragaNovember 1, 2017
How important has technology been to the development of Humanity? By definition, technology relates to the means by which man attempts to rule over matter. However, technical elements alone are not enough to measure progress. Today we find ourselves engaged in a cult to technology, such that we judge the quality and excellence of civilizations [...]
The Ideal Activist: Inner Work for Outer Change
Author: Harianto H MehtaOctober 19, 2017
With a burning aspiration and courageous determination, many a youth dares to dream of a better world, driven by the need to take responsibility and participate in bringing about the clearly evident need for change, whether in the realm of ecology, literacy, socio-economic disparity, or the myriad other causes that demand attention in our times. [...]
Philosophy as a Way of Life
Author: Julian ScottOctober 19, 2017
The other day I heard a memorable phrase from the mouth of a Yorkshire farmer: “Farming is a way of life.” And it occurred to me that anything which is done properly must be a way of life. The same is true of philosophy. “Generally speaking, university philosophy is mere fencing in front of a [...]
Classical Dance: A Stairway to Spirituality
Author: Purbasha GhoshAugust 27, 2017
In our perpetual pursuit of the perceived definition of success, our minds and bodies are incessantly engaged in surface level occupations; being ‘busy’ appears to be a natural choice to satiate our voracious material and intellectual needs. Nevertheless, somewhere a higher center within us remains starved and an intense yearning to unite with something larger [...]
Morality, Philosophy and Spirituality
Author: Pinar AkhanFebruary 7, 2017
This article is based on a class given by the Honorary President of International Organisation New Acropolis, Delia Steinberg Guzmán, in November 2015. In it she explained that there are three levels through which human consciousness develops, by which we can come to understand ourselves and others better. These three concepts are not unfamiliar to [...]
Science, Technology and Philosophy
Author: Florimond KrinsFebruary 7, 2017
“Technology took us to the moon. It is philosophy that will bring us back to ourselves.” Jorge Angel Livraga We live in a technological era. We are surrounded by technology and our daily life depends on it. We go as far as identifying ourselves with it and curse to high heavens when the internet is [...]
A Revolution for the Future
Author: Pierre PoulainDecember 26, 2016
Do we need to learn from History? On December 3rd I was sitting in front of my laptop, wondering what might be the theme of this article. I didn’t want to write about something that I didn’t believe was important or significant. Usually I let my intuition identify a subject, but on that day, this [...]