• Profile half-length photograph of a man facing to the left wearing a dark jacket and tie, holding a cigarette in his hand, with a white handkerchief in his jacket breast pocket. The man has a prominent straight nose, slicked back hair and his tie forms a slight arch from the knot. In the background, on the left side of the image, there is another half-length frontal portrait of a man. He has white hair, also wears a jacket and tie, is looking to the right, and is smiling.

The myth of the selfless philosopher

By Enrico Galvagni There is a myth that spans the history of western thought: the myth of the selfless philosopher. True philosophers, the myth says, are ethereal creatures who dropped every trace of pride, egoism, and vainglory to devote their…

Stoic advice on the coronavirus crisis

By Christopher Gill Many of the themes regularly used for life-guidance based on Stoic philosophy can help with responding to the current coronavirus crisis; here are a few suggestions. Drawing a clear distinction between what we can and cannot control,…

The wisdom of greed?

By Nicholas Baima Greed is clearly unjust, but is it foolish? In Book 1 of Plato’s Republic, Thrasymachus defends the value of injustice by arguing that it is in one’s self-interest to be greedy. Justice, he argues, is nothing more…

Moral philosophy header

God in Aristotle’s Ethics

By Tom Angier Does ethics need religion? Do we need to believe in God to be good? These are standard questions in moral philosophy. Strangely, however, they are not asked about (arguably) the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition: namely,…