In Hitchcock’s Rope two students convince themselves that Nietzschean “superiority” idea - the notorious "Übermensch" - justifies murder. Les Jones’ philosophical review (issue 172) suggests that Nietzsche would have begged to differ: philosophynow.org/issues/172/R...

We're delighted to announce that the lively Philosophy Now discussion forum is back online again. It has a new address (canzookia.com). No hidden algorithms, and you can choose from sub-forums covering every area of #philosophy.

In "Brief Lives: Friedrich Nietzsche" (issue 172) Hilarius Bogbinder considers the all too human life of the notorious iconoclast: philosophynow.org/issues/172/F...

For Cicero, virtus - virtue - was not private morality alone, but the foundation of public leadership. Read ‘Cicero & the Ideal of Virtue’ by Abdullah Shaikh in Philosophy Now issue 172: philosophynow.org/issues/172/C...

In "Good Grief!" (issue 172) Tim Madigan tells the story and ponders the philosophy of Peanuts - the iconic cartoon by Charles Schulz, featuring Charlie and Sally Brown, Snoopy, and friends: philosophynow.org/issues/172/G...

In "A Very Short History of Critical Thinking" (issue 172), corporate philosopher Luc de Brabandere summarises a long history through key figures of thought. A fresco by Rodolphe Duprey illustrates the article: philosophynow.org/issues/172/A...

What makes a great speaker? For the Roman educator Quintilian, technique was never enough. The true orator must be formed in character as well as rhetoric. Read The Educational Philosophy of Quintilian by Philip Vassallo (Issue 172, Roman Philosophy dossier): philosophynow.org/issues/172/T...

What if you met all the other lives you might have lived? This puppet adaptation by Tamara Keldany brings to life ‘Me, me, me?’, a philosophical short story by Benjamin George Coles, first published in Philosophy Now Issue 169. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkYE...

In the current issue's Philosophical Haiku, Terence Green turns to Lucretius, the Roman author who used poetry to give contemporary voice to Epicurean philosophy: philosophynow.org/issues/172/L...

In "Identity in the Age of Connectivity" (issue 172), Sara Asran explores how digital life reshapes who we think we are, from what we buy, to what we post, to how we present ourselves to others: philosophynow.org/issues/172/I...

Our new issue 172 looks at the Roman - and Roman-inspired - philosophy. In this opening feature "Machiavelli’s Roman Empire", Samuel Spound explains why the author of The Prince thought about Rome so much - and not for the reasons one might think: philosophynow.org/issues/172/M...

JUST OUT: Issue 172 of Philosophy Now looks at the Roman Philosophy, from Machiavelli’s take on the Roman Republic to Cicero’s ideal of virtus, Quintilian’s surprisingly modern educational insights, and Stoic reflections that still speak to how we live today. philosophynow.org

Did you know that Philosophy Now has "Question of the Month" in every issue, where the best answers by our readers get published and receive book gifts? The current issue's question was "What are the Proper Limits of Free Speech?", published answers here: philosophynow.org/issues/171/W...

In "The Philosophy of William Blake" (issue 171), Mark Vernon looks at the imaginative thinking of an imaginative artist: philosophynow.org/issues/171/T...

Here is a Moral Compass (by Owen Savage, for issue 171), in case you are in need of one. Anything missing? 😉 More art and musings by Owen Savage: oghsavage.substack.com

Art: "Women Within Reason" by Melanie Wu. If philosophy is a club, who gets to set the rules? In "What Women?" (Issue 171), Marcia Yudkin reflects on her early experience in a male-dominated philosophy department: philosophynow.org/issues/171/W...

Eric Comerford overheard Bilbo and Gandalf discussing happiness in the Undying Lands (Issue 171, Fiction): philosophynow.org/issues/171/B...

Meet up fortnightly on Zoom with Dr Anja Steinbauer and other philosophers at midnight (UK time) for a candlelit hour of thinking about life, the universe and everything. The topic for tonight's session is "Home". Come in from 23:45. Sign up at: www.meetup.com/london-philo...

Are #evolution and #progress - synonyms? In our latest issue 171, Adam Neiblum explores what the difference is, and why it matters: philosophynow.org/issues/171/E...

In “Ancient Indian Wisdom for a Restless Age” (issue 171), Jahnvi Borgohain turns to six classical Indian traditions that offer strikingly different - and surprisingly relevant - ways of thinking about #happiness today: philosophynow.org/issues/171/A...

Waiting for the Out is out on BBC, and critics are raving. We covered release of this teaching philosophy in prison drama based on Andy West's memoir The Life Inside in our latest News, and Philosophy For All has a great recent podcast with Andy: lnk.bio/philosophyfo...

Happy @unesco.org #WorldLogicDay! “Anyone can improve their capacity to reason by learning some #logic,” writes Marianne Talbot in "Critical Reasoning" (issue 106). A great intro to how logic sharpens everyday thinking: philosophynow.org/issues/106/C...

What does Islamic philosophy say about tyranny? Read AmirAli Maleki's overview of some key Islamic thinkers' ideas in issue 171: philosophynow.org/issues/171/O...

Season's Greetings from Philosophy Now! In our archive issue 165, Jimmy Licon asks whether encouraging belief in Santa is naughty or nice, exploring the ethics of belief, truth, and how we actually learn to think for ourselves: philosophynow.org/issues/165/P...

Recent Philosophy Now pieces have asked whether happiness, self-improvement, and meaning really point in the same direction. This cartoon seems less sure. Art © Jon Carter 2025 Read what philosophers have to say on the topic: philosophynow.org

In "Marcus Aurelius’s Ten Commandments" Massimo Pigliucci studies the Stoic Emperor’s to-do list. Read the rest of the commandments and Pigliucci's commentary in issue 171: philosophynow.org/issues/171/M...

"To cling on to happiness is to cling on to a slippery rope dangling above an abyss" suggests Abdullah Rayhan in "Deconstructing Happiness" (issue 171), bringing in Boethius, Kierkegaard and Montaigne, and offers an alternative solution. Read full exploration here: philosophynow.org/issues/171/D...

Don't Worry Be Happy. What exactly is happiness? @philosophynow.bsky.social looks to tackle that question in their December/January issue. #Philosophynow #Happiness

Is happiness pleasure, effort, virtue, resilience, or something else entirely? What is happiness for you? Michael Gracey’s article "Hedonic Treadmills in the Vale of Tears" (issue 171) traces a long philosophical conversation: philosophynow.org/issues/171/H...

Is living happily the same as living meaningfully? And if not, what's more important? Matthew Hammerton explores "The Good Life Paradox" in issue 171: philosophynow.org/issues/171/T...

Philosophy Now magazine, @philosophynow.bsky.social, out now - with an article in which I argue #WilliamBlake would have found allies in philosophers of science from #DavidHume to #WernerHeisenberg…

The new 171 issue of Philosophy Now - The Happiness Issue - foregoes Chesterton's warning. Are we wrong? What do you think? Happiness rationalised here: philosophynow.org/issues/171

JUST OUT: Issue 171 dives into #Happiness: the pursuit of the #GoodLife, the tension between #pleasure and #purpose, and what it really means to #flourish today. With reflections on #Ethics, #Neurotechnology and philosophical classics re-examined. philosophynow.org/issues/171

In Philosophy Now Issue 170: an original dialogue between Emma Jones and Prof. Luce #Irigaray, the pioneering Belgian-French feminist philosopher and psychoanalyst. Their challenging, fascinating talk focuses on Irigaray's most recent book, "The Mediation of Touch" philosophynow.org/issues/170/T...

In "Macmurray on Relationship" (issue 170) Jeanne Warren presents John Macmurray’s philosophy, who argues that the fundamental unit of personal reality is not ‘I’, but ‘you-and-I’. Whose side are you on - Sartre 😈 or Macmurray 😇? Read full article: philosophynow.org/issues/170/M...

To celebrate the life and legacy of Tom Stoppard, read "Wittgenstein: Stoppard’s Muse" by Fergus Edwards @drfergusedwards.bsky.social in issue 154: philosophynow.org/issues/154/W...

For those who want to know more about philosophy in Stoppard: "Wittgenstein: Stoppard's Muse" is in the Feb 2023 edition of @philosophynow.bsky.social

Katharine Mullen interviews Karl Sigmund on his books "The Waltz of Reason" (the history of interplay between maths and philosophy), and "Exact Thinking in Demented Times: The Vienna Circle and the Epic Quest for the Foundations of Science". Read here: philosophynow.org/issues/170/K...

John P. Irish considers some principles of history through the history of the historian Edward Gibbon (1737-1794): philosophynow.org/issues/170/E...

In "Can AI Teach Our Grandmothers To Suck Eggs?" (issue 170) Louis Tempany wonders whether human life will become so diminished that we will require machines to do everything for us, and what that might mean for our humanity. Read award-winning essay: philosophynow.org/issues/170/C...

Philosophical fiction: In "The Primates" Samantha Neave visits a future where almost all animals have rights: philosophynow.org/issues/170/T...

Happy World Philosophy Day! For this special occasions, we are inviting you to revisit Aristotle's idea of life of (philosophical) contemplation as the ultimate happiness. Do you agree? Read for further context: philosophynow.org/issues/151/A...

In Philosophy Now's most recent issue 170, Raymond Tallis revisits Anselm's famous Ontological Argument for the existence of God, and contends that a definition of God cannot necessitate God’s existence: philosophynow.org/issues/170/R...

Read “The Mediation of Touch”, a conversation with Luce Irigaray, a philosopher, psychoanalyst and the author of many books, including "The Mediation of Touch" (2024), in issue 170: philosophynow.org/issues/170/T...

In "What My Sister Taught Me About Humanity", Lee Clarke powerfully argues that we need a more inclusive view of moral personhood. Picture: the author's sister Laura. Read Clarke's personal story and her proposed criteria for common humanity: philosophynow.org/issues/170/W...

“The observer isn’t just watching reality — but helping shape it.” Do you agree? #QuantumPhysics meets #IndianPhilosophy in a dialogue about consciousness, causality & the illusion of separateness. Art by Paul Gregory. Read in issue 170: philosophynow.org/issues/170/Q...

Marx, Nietzsche and Sartre walk into a cafe and order hot chocolate. Can you come up with a punch line? For inspiration, take a sip of "Philosophers on Chocolate" by Matt Qvortrup: philosophynow.org/issues/170/P...

Halloween special: Daniel Toré asks whether it’s morally wrong to enjoy horror (archives, issue 156). Do you like watching horror? And what do you make of it? philosophynow.org/issues/156/T...

Read "Alchemy, Mining, Speculation & Experimentation" by Okan Nurettin Okur in issue 170 if you’re curious about how ancient speculation, experiment and metaphysics still shape our thinking about nature. Art: Chemistry by Paul Gregory philosophynow.org/issues/170/A...

Is moral flexibility a virtue in the workplace, what do you think? Art by Steve Delmonte 2025