In the past 10 years the idea that trees communicate with and look after each other has gained widespread currency. But have these claims outstripped the evidence? There are a lot of humans. Te...
Controversial US philosopher who sought to understand and explain the science of the mind Daniel Dennett, who has died aged 82, was a controversial philosopher whose writing on consciousness, a...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/21/daniel-dennett-obituary
Nick Bostrom’s Future of Humanity Institute closed this week in what Swedish-born philosopher says was ‘death by bureaucracy’ Oxford University this week shut down an academic institute r...
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/19/oxford-future-of-humanity-institute-closes
Nancy Fraser, professor of philosophy at the New School, condemned killings in Gaza carried out by the Israeli military A leading Jewish American philosopher has been disinvited from taking up ...
Readers respond to Alex Blasdel’s long read on the studies of brain activity immediately after death Alex Blasdel’s long read contains some fascinating facts and speculations (The new scien...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/09/the-mysteries-of-near-death-experiences
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Is it possible to ...
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Is it possible to ...
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/25/is-it-possible-to-think-about-nothing
Early risers know only too well the smug satisfaction of getting up and getting going. But what if you’re more of an owl than a lark? Here’s how to change your body clock and seize the day ...
Dancing on Marx’s grave | Multi-faith peace march | Men’s underwear | Scallop or scollop? | Baffle over waffle Benny Green once said: “Four years after Tennyson died, Alfred Austin succee...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/23/is-now-the-time-for-karl-marx-resurrection
Horizon developer and the Post Office are latest in a long line of corporate behemoths whose snappy slogans have fallen short The idea that every business needs a messianic mission statement too...
Compensation is beside the point. Businesses should fulfil all their obligations to their consumers I complain a lot. I complain about any loss or inconvenience caused by a provider of somethin...
According to some major religions, work is a crucial arena for spiritual connection The average person will spend 90,000 hours – about 20% of their waking life – at work. The French philoso...
With war in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, and an authoritarian drift in global politics, the season’s message of optimism is much needed In her traditional Christmas message this week, the Bi...
Teaching the Enlightenment reminded me that the worse the world seems, the harder you have to hold on to your principles What brought us hope and joy in 2023? Writers share their stories The m...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/21/students-hope-change-enlightenment-world-worse
I found Saturnalia and Sinterklaas and learned that December has always been about hope, which is surely something to celebrate When I was a kid, I loved midnight mass. I would watch Carols by ...
Book claims it is ‘hard to find another currently existing society’ better than that in Skerries, near Dublin Philosophers have long debated the concept of the good life and whether such a...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/02/has-irish-town-found-secret-the-good-life-skerries
The Booker prize has gone to a dystopian vision of a totalitarian Ireland. But imagined futures needn’t always be bleak From Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel , The Road, to the glo...
When my husband died I questioned my purpose in life. But my faith offered me tools to help navigate the worst days Making sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to na...
As last week’s dust-up at the Ryder Cup showed, the golfer is an emotional man who turns to emperor Marcus Aurelius when the red mist descends Blessed are the peacemakers, especially when they...
With the London scheme poised to go national, Observer writers make their cases for a few of the many overlooked, snubbed or merely forgotten figures who richly deserve recognition The London b...