Do Passion and Reason Really Conflict? — When we try to make sense of the world, its ravings, joys and torments, we begin to understand one thing. People don’t decide by reason. When we talk of gut feelings, passions and intuitions, we’re trying to put our finger on motivational forces that defy category. …

Rubens’s Adoration of the Magi is a noisy masterpiece that melds religion and politics — Peter-Paul Rubens’s gigantic painting loudly contradicts the folkloric silent night. This typically muscular painting by the Flemish master is deafening. The Holy Family greet a huge commotion when the Magi arrive to offer gifts to the divine king of Christian belief. The enormous entourage of camels, braying donkeys, war horses…

Ibn Sina’s “Proof of the Truthful” — Why is there something rather than nothing? It’s a question that we all ask many times in our lives. It’s often said that philosophy begins in wonder, and the child is the greatest philosopher because the child isn’t too afraid to ask, “why?” The ultimate question is “why anything?” It’s…

Data-Driven Giving is Logical, but is it Wise? — It feels good when you give to charity, doesn’t it? It’s different, though, from showing generosity to a friend. Few of us know or check where or how that money is being spent. Instead, your cash seems to be banked in some abstract realm we can vaguely describe as moral…

Find Your Purpose and Focus in Under an Hour — Branding is everything when it comes to success. We commonly think of branding as the most superficial parts of your business — the design of your logo, the colours and typefaces of your “house style”, maybe you come up with a snappy tag line. But successful branding cuts far deeper…

History Shows the Tipping Point for Mass Murder is Closer Than You Might Think — It has always rings hollow to me when people are accused of “inhumanity” when they partake in organized murder. Dehumanization is a very human phenomenon. We choose who of our kind must be relegated out of it. It starts in the denial of the full humanness of a people, lurking…

A Spiritual Exercise — Imagine that tomorrow you wake up and a man in uniform is standing beside your bed. The man tells you that he is a prison camp guard, that the reality you’ve been living is a prison camp. Nothing is different — you have the same home, live in the same…

Back in July last year I was contacted by Brigid Delaney, an Australian journalist with an interest in mental health and well-being. She interviewed me for a feature about the philosophical concept of ataraxia for The Guardian, and it was great to exchange ideas with her. The secret to happiness in uncertain times? Give up pursuing it ore than a year into the pandemic, many of the usual paths to happiness are blocked. We can't always rely on the…www.theguardian.com