Philosophy

Philosopher Tomas Bogardus has brought together for you some notable thoughts on why one should study philosophy.

"Recent financial upheaval has caused many executives in Switzerland and elsewhere to reconsider how and why they do what they do … Since 2004, the University of Fribourg has been offering a 'philosophical retreat for executive staff.' A study…showed that people who had attended it …were more prone to introspection, which helped boost their self-confidence. They also showed an improved capacity to formulate concepts and were more able to question themselves, which made constructive criticism easier and made them more inclined to listen to others." The result: decision makers who can get beyond their 'toolbox training' to think about the meaning of their actions.

"And here's the bonus: philosophy turned out to be more relevant for my career than all the business and management books I forced myself to read -- combined."

Marking World Philosophy Day, the head the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today appealed to every professional, author and teacher worldwide to unleash the power of critical thinking, and urged the international community to engage in reasoned dialogue to help find common solutions to shared challenges.

On the occasion of World Philosophy Day, two philosophers examine the suspicious regard politicians have toward philosophy in the democratic societies in which they work—Australia and Spain.

A report from the "front lines" on teaching philosophy to children.

Philosopher Ken Taylor talks about the benefits of philosophy and reason. He argues that the phenomenon of confirmation bias is our biggest cognitive failure and that we can not improve our democracy while it exists.

Bertrand Russell saw philosophy as a way of life, insisting that questions of cosmic meaning and value have an existential, ethical and spiritual urgency.

Philosopher of law, Brian Leiter explains why philosophy has been central to legal education for more than a century.

Dr. Damon Horowitz quit his technology job and got a Ph.D. in philosophy -- and he thinks you should too.

Rebecca Goldstein explains why Plato (and philosophy in general) is still relevant in the 21st century. See also the review of her new book /Plato at the Goggleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away/ in the Christian Science Monitor.

An interview with Rebecca Goldstein about her recent book Plato at the Googleplex.

"Children are natural philosophers … studies have demonstrated that children who study philosophy are more likely to achieve better academic results. They also enjoy additional social benefits such as better self-esteem and the demonstration of empathy for others. There is also said to be less bullying in the schoolyard and less behaviour-management issues."

Here's a TED first: an animated Socratic dialogue! In a time when irrationality seems to rule both politics and culture, has reasoned thinking finally lost its power? Watch as linguist Steven Pinker is gradually, brilliantly persuaded by philosopher and novelist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (Plato at the Googleplex) that reason is actually the key driver of human moral progress, even if its effect sometimes takes generations to unfold. This

When misfortune strikes … people reassess what is most important to them.… Everyone knows this.… It is therefore hardly practical, Socrates would say, to spend a large part of our lives devoting ourselves to things that, were we not blinded or intoxicated by relative good fortune, would appear not worth the sacrifices we make for them.… We should resist the ubiquitous attempts to hijack the very concept of the practical to relatively narrow material ambitions.