Philosophy Bites Daily

Kant or Rant?

Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Kelly believe that nihilism has bottomed out and that philosophy can restore a sense of wonder, gratitude etc.. But are they right? Read more...

John Stuart Mill's Passions

Adam Gopnik's 2008 review of Richard Reeves' biography of J.S. Mill covers everything you need to know about the man, his passions, his politics, and his love affair with Harriet Taylor. Read more...

Montaigne - Life = Part Folly, Part Wisdom

Michel de Montaigne didn't have a plan, but does that mean he can't be a great philosopher? One of his most attractive characteristics was his frankness and willingness to identify his own frailities. Read more...

Can Reading The Classics Cure the Common Malaise?

Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Kelly think that reading classic books can provide an antidote to contemporary problems. Is this just wishful thinking? Read more...

Early Modern Philosophy - key texts paraphrased

Jonathan Bennett's paraphrases of a wide range of classic philosophical texts are surprisingly good. Machiavelli, Leibniz, Spinoza, Hume, Reid, Rousseau, Kant, Mill, Wollstonecraft are all here. Very few people would be able to carry off the task of putting these authors' work into intelligible prose while remaining close to the original. This shouldn't work, but it does. Read more...