The Outline
Tom Whyman
The “where’s my elephant?” theory of history
Isn’t that what we’re all asking in our own lives?
Roger Scruton helped make things worse
The British philosopher is being widely eulogized as a man of noble mind and generous heart. Hardly.
The crucial difference between Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn
Sanders, blessedly, is capable of being a bit of a dick.
“The Gang Fixes 10 Downing Street”
UK political advisor Dominic Cummings has a plan to reimagine the civil service, and it sounds strikingly familiar.
The 2010s are Jolyon Maugham, and we are all the fox he beat to death
Why would a once-respected lawyer tweet about beating an animal to death? The answer will not surprise you.
The Trevor Bastard Extended Universe is modern art
The very weird, very online project was wrongly targeted by Twitter because of people who didn't get the joke.
The UK chose barbarism. Now what?
Labour’s doomed campaign still leaves a passionate network of activists who want more for the country.
For the love of God, the UK needs to vote Labour
Please.
We should absolutely find out the Queen is dead from a guy named Gibbo
It’s the only thing that makes sense as Britain crumbles.
I’ll take “Reasons ‘Jeopardy!’ could never work in the UK” for $600
Smart British kids are meant to be taunted relentlessly, not given cash prizes.
Godparents, with or without God
Why the Christian tradition is important in a secular world.
You can’t do that on British television!
Why some countries have actual rules against say, using a broadcast network as the defacto propaganda arm of one political party.
The worship of billionaires has become our shittiest religion
Nobody should have a billion dollars, and those who do are something other than fully human.
Why British conservatives are making awful memes
On purpose this time.
Bruce Chatwin was the internet before the internet existed
The legacy of the late British writer and journalist shows us how the internet could be — a place where reality is not distorted but enriched by its users.
People keep trying to bring back phrenology
Perhaps their moderately sloped brows are driving them to this madness.
The cleverness of stupidity
Whether real or feigned, the political and media establishment are clearly benefitting from being very dense.
Trump is racist and other things you’re not allowed to say on the BBC
Despite what the network claims, it has never been impartial.
So you married a Hegelian
A defense of Reddit’s much-loathed philosophy guy, written by a very nice and normal philosophy guy.
Luxury is shit
The future of communism should not involve gold toilets for all.
It is perfectly moral to bring children into a shitty world
We will not defeat climate change by having less of a stake in the future.
Yaaas the literal Queen
Deepest apologies, but Britain’s withered avatar of unaccountable power and plunder is not a sassy bitch.
Much ado about Greta
Why does one Swedish teenager manage to drive so many pundits off the deep end?
We the undersigned would like philosophy to remain quite useless
A recent op-ed in the ‘New York Times’ argues, foolishly, that philosophy is in danger of becoming too political.
Can I be objective about the beauty of my son?
Traditional aesthetics cannot account for his sweet little face.
I thought I would feel hopeful in a crisis
But when my partner had an emergency C-section, I felt something else.
Happy birthday Habermas, your philosophy has failed us
How a spat on the occasion of the famous thinker's 90th birthday reveals the inadequacies of political philosophy.
Should we abolish the family?
A recent book makes the case for moving beyond biological bonds.
Everything happens so much
Our experience of calendar time has come unmoored. We may need to consider an alternative.
Nick Kyrgios as religious experience
He is the only tennis player capable of transcending the efficiency of the modern game to show us something more beautiful.
Can we abolish time?
An island in Norway wants to cut ties with the clock so residents are free to mow their lawns at 4 a.m.
We live in an age of Assholes
The worst people in the world get all the attention, but what can we do about it?
Does anyone want to hear a story???
Viral Twitter tales are often bullshit, but being made-up isn’t the worst thing about them.
Why every British person you know is talking about ‘Love Island’
The dating reality show is so beloved it’s impossible to avoid.
Many are having an extremely normal one
The world is so weird we simply struggle to describe it.
‘Detective Pikachu’ is the first film aimed at millennial parents
What is it telling us about ourselves?
Finally, the nostalgia industry has come for something I love
The ‘Final Fantasy VII’ remake threatens to turn me into one of those awful guys who complains about my childhood being ruined.
Anatomy of the Wife Guy
Not every guy with a wife is a wife guy, and not all wife guys have wives.
The aesthetic case for fake meat
Eating vegan meat substitutes is more than the ethical choice, it’s the delicious one.
Caster Semenya is what we want all athletes to be: incredibly talented
There is nothing particularly “natural” about sports. Let’s embrace it.
We are all trapped in one particular episode of ‘Peep Show’
Even a tragedy like the Notre Dame fire can’t distract us from our own petty bullshit.
Thinking about climate means becoming human for the first time
Part three of a three-part series on how philosophy contends with our possible annihilation.
How to think against the apocalypse
Part two in a three-part series on how philosophy contends with our possible annihilation.
Can we truly think about climate change at all?
Part one of a three-part series on how philosophy contends with our possible annihilation.
Give the Nobel Prize in Literature to Dril
He is our best modern poet. He will never log off.
We can never speak freely
At most, and with some effort, we can learn to speak well.
We are all babies having cheese thrown at us, constantly
Here’s another slice.
How do I raise a good son in a world that lets men be so bad?
I just found out my baby is a boy. What a nightmare.
Are politicians getting more bizarre?
Why we insist on being ruled by the least human-like human beings on the planet.
Can you ever forgive me for being a member of society?
We all need recognition. But we also deserve a world that is worthy of our recognition.
I’ve gone full Apocalypse Dad
My instinct is to prepare for the worst, but maybe the real threat is everything staying precisely the same.
The myth of Ted Bundy as a charming guy
Why are we invested in thinking he was so handsome and normal-seeming?
The unnatural ethics of AI could be its undoing
Algorithms are so good at racism that it will hopefully become impossible to ignore.
How male privilege produces such hapless men
The internet abounds with tales of male incompetence. What’s up with all these morons?
Is it hopepunk to have a baby?
Maybe a very cozy-looking baby. If we read it ‘Harry Potter.’
Experience: I am in love with this personal essay series
Where else can you learn what it is like to be swallowed by a hippo?
If the Big Cow is a lie then to hell with the truth
Moo.
How bad should we feel for burnt-out gifted kids?
Sure, being told you have potential can mess a person up, but don’t trace all your adult shortcomings back to grade school.
Why are rich people so weird?
From Business Insider lady to money diarists, the strangest humans on the planet keep telling us about their days.
Why everyone wants to speak to the manager
The political disposition behind the meme.
Stop blaming postmodernism for the rise of Trump
The president lies a lot. This has nothing to do with Derrida.
