Robert Musil and Life as Experiment
September 21, 2025
Robert Musil (1880-1942) was an Austrian novelist, famous for The Man Without Qualities. Set in…
Beliefs Tagged Episodes
The Ethical Jerk
December 11, 2022
Ethics philosophers are more ethical than the average person — right? Well, maybe not. Studies…
The Limits of Tolerance
December 19, 2021
In order to reach compromise, people try to be tolerant of others with different beliefs.…
Should Beliefs Aim at Truth?
November 10, 2019
If beliefs can be described as having a goal or purpose, then surely that is…
Magical Thinking
July 21, 2019
Have you ever avoided stepping on a crack, just in case you might break your…
Second-Guessing Ourselves
June 11, 2017
We like to think of ourselves as self-aware, reflective beings, but psychological studies demonstrate that…
Hypocrisy
November 30, 2014
Hypocrites believe one thing, but do another. Jefferson opposed slavery, but owned slaves. Jesus professed…
Trust and Mistrust
December 29, 2013
If we couldn’t trust each other, our lives would be very different. We trust strangers…
Self-Deception
August 5, 2012
Self-deception sounds like a contradiction: intentionally convincing yourself of something you know to be untrue. …
Mind Reading
April 8, 2012
We base many decisions every day not only on the belief that other people have…
Beliefs Gone Wild
May 15, 2011
Our brains evolved on the African savannah, but are now expected to deal with complex…
Skepticism
March 15, 2009
Various forms of skepticism play important roles in the history of philosophy. Do we really…
If Truth is so valuable, why is there so much BS?
August 31, 2008
Everywhere we look — in the media, in our political campaigns, in the hallowed halls…
Live Pilot: Is Lying Always Bad?
August 20, 2003
Many philosophers have been tempted to condemn lying as an absolute evil. The problem is…
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