Arete of Cyrene and the Smooth Motion of the Flesh
Arete of Cyrene was an early woman philosopher who was important in the establishment of the Cyrenaic school, which emphasised the centrality of bodily pleasure to the good life.
Blogs
The Future of Work (Work #7)
In our final class, we're looking back at the last six weeks, and looking forward to ask about the future of work.
Mencius and the Sprouts of Virtue
Mencius was a Confucian philosopher who argued for the inherent goodness of human nature, and who insisted that good government is about nourishing this inherent goodness.
The Opposite of Work Part 2: Philosophy and Play (Work #6)
We spend a lot of our life not just working, but also playing. But what is play? In this class, we'll look at the serious business of play, and why it matters.
Plato's Cave, and Escaping the Prison of Ignorance
Plato is undoubtedly one of the most influential thinkers in all of history. He opened up a series of questions — about philosophy, about knowledge, about truth, about politics and about ethics — that have continued to preoccupy people down to the present-day.
The Opposite of Work? All About Idleness (Work #5)
Is idleness a bad thing? Or does taking idleness more seriously offer us new possibilities for human liberation?
Creativity on the Academic Margins: Podcast
A podcast interview about writing, creativity and the challenges of teaching in multilingual environments, with Dr Tim Hannigan.
Spiritual Damage: How Work is Bad for Us (Work #4)
In the last piece, we explored the idea that work might just be the thing that saves us. But what if the reverse is true?
New Book Chapter: A Rude People Subjected to No Restraint
A new book chapter, in Travel Writing in An Age of Global Quarantine edited by Gary Fisher and David Robinson.
7 Ways of Reading Philosophy: #3 Reading self-interestedly
Why be a dutiful reader, when you can read self-interestedly?
The Goodness of Work: Virtue, work, and salvation (Work #3)
Work, according to Thomas Carlyle, is a purifying fire that saves us from all vices. But is Carlyle right? And is work really a path to virtue?
The Zhouyi – a Tool for Invention
A copy of my talk from the third Zhouyi summit forum in Wuxi, China (with Chinese translation).