Free and Easy Rambling With Zhuangzi
The ancient Chinese philosopher who advocated uselessness and free-and-easy wandering.
Blog
Philosophy, Writing and Wayward Curiosities from Will Buckingham
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.
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.
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.
Creativity on the Academic Margins: Podcast
A podcast interview about writing, creativity and the challenges of teaching in multilingual environments, with Dr Tim Hannigan.
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 Zhouyi – a Tool for Invention
A copy of my talk from the third Zhouyi summit forum in Wuxi, China (with Chinese translation).
Maya Philosophy, and How to Give Shape to Time
The Maya philosophers were preoccupied with time, and with how the ritual ordering of time is a way that human beings participate in the ongoing creation of the world.
Spring, Like Us, Grows Old
A Poem about ageing and loss, written by one of China’s greatest women poets, Li Qingzhao
Mozi and the Challenge of Universal Love
Mozi was one of the most influential of all early Chinese philosophers. He proposed a society based on universal love, protected by a system of rewards and punishments.