Blog
14
Mar
Mar
Do not long for immortality, but perhaps contemplate eternity
It can come as something of a surprise to learn that western
religions are not much interested in immortality. Take
ancient Judaism, the Judaism of the Hebrew Bible.
Immortality is hardly mentioned. Humans are said to go to
‘sheol’, a shadowy subterranean abode, or...
04
Mar
Mar
Stephen Cave's Guide to the Time of Your Life
One of the greatest preoccupations of humanity is how to
resist our mortality. But does our fantasy of living forever
in fact stop us living fully? Author of Immortality Stephen
Cave thinks so. Here he explores our desire to outwit death,
and gives us...
09
Jan
Jan
Jules Evans on Havi Carel
Havi Carel had everything going for her. At 35, she had
recently met the love of her life, she’d just brought out
her first book, and she was about to start her dream job,
teaching philosophy at the University of West England, in
Bristol...
17
Dec
Dec
The Power of Moonlight
For those of us who live in an urban setting, moonlight,
starlight and darkness itself are increasingly rare
commodities. What do we lose by living in a man-built
environment of perpetual day? This excerpt reveals the
powerful psychological effect the night sky can have...
20
Nov
Nov
John O'Connell on resurrecting the pleasure of the well-written letter.
It’s a sad truth that few of us, nowadays, write letters.
Indeed, it’s tempting to think of handwritten letters as
having been superseded by email in the same way that vinyl
records were supplanted by CDs. The problem with this tidy
progress narrative is...
17
May
May
Alain de Botton on Self-Help Books
Anyone wanting to damage their intellectual credentials at a
stroke need only do one simple thing: confess they read
self-help books.
There's no more ridiculed genre in the literary canon –
and you can see why. Most self-help books are written by
Americans of the...
09
May
May
Jules Evans on How Ancient Philosophy Saved My Life
It was around this time of year, just over a decade ago,
that I had a breakdown. During my three years at university,
my mental health had got worse and worse. It started with
panic attacks, that arose out of nowhere like tornadoes.
Then...
03
Apr
Apr
Dear Bibliotherapist
Within the last six weeks, I have moved from one end of
England to the other, changed my job from working in finance
to teaching, and my sister (who I am very close to) has
moved permanently to Australia. All of this happened...
22
Mar
Mar
Susan Quilliam on Sexual Confidence
It is, surely, a self-fulfilling prophecy that the more
confident you are the more you will enjoy sex. This is not
about arrogance - the assumption that one is God's gift will
be an instant turn-off, particularly to women, if only
because they know...
27
Feb
Feb
Alain de Botton on a New Priesthood: Psychotherapists
For centuries in the West, there was a figure in society who
fulfilled a function that is likely to sound very odd to
modern secular ears. He (there were no she's in the role)
didn't sell you anything or fulfill any material need,...
14
Feb
Feb
Goodbye Valentine's Day, Make Way for Generosity Day
The Generosity Revolution are rebooting Valentine's Day as
Generosity Day: one day of sharing love with everyone, of
being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to
practice saying "Yes." Let's make the day about love, action
and human connection -- because...
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