The Best of Aeon+Psyche
20+ most popular Aeon+Psyche articles, as voted by our community.
Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. Psyche is our sister magazine focused on the human condition. Visit http://aeon.co and http://psyche.co for more.
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Since when is philosophy a branch of the self-help industry?
The discipline today finds itself precariously balanced between incomprehensible specialisation and cheap self-help
«Many people buy books that supply the illusion of thinking»
Déjà vu – a window on the past and a key to human survival
Have you been here before? The eerie sensation is the shadow of your mind searching inward for clues to its own survival
More than argument, logic is the very structure of reality
Some have thought that logic will one day be completed and all its problems solved. Now we know it is an endless task
How to thrive amid ‘imposter syndrome’
Worries that you’re incompetent and undeserving could be holding you back. Try these steps to move toward the life you want
A rebel spirit and an artist’s eye: Russell Page’s landscape design
In an era of 20th-century suburban sprawl, the great designer Russell Page infused soulful philosophy into his gardens
Aeon+Psyche on Anger
There’s no emotion we ought to think harder about than anger
Anger is the emotion that has come to saturate our politics and culture. Philosophy can help us out of this dark vortex
Anger Is Temporary Madness: The Stoics Knew How to Curb It
Anger is a complicated emotion, but one you can learn to control. Here’s how.
Aeon+Psyche on Anxiety
Many people not only survive mental illness
For people with depression, anxiety and other conditions, reaching high wellbeing – not just recovery – is a real possibility
«enhanced focus on wellbeing will spark a broader conversation that encourages providers to better align patient care with patient goals»
How to tell whether you’re being careful or giving in to anxiety
It’s not always easy to tell what’s a sensible safeguard, and what’s an anxiety-fuelling habit. A few questions can help
«bring a stick to hit shrubs along the path. Does the behaviour allow for engagement in valued activities?»
Aeon+Psyche on Brain
Your brain does not process information and it is not a computer
Your brain does not process information, retrieve knowledge or store memories. In short: your brain is not a computer
How to maintain a healthy brain
Adopt these lifestyle changes and you will not only sharpen your mind today but also reduce your risk of dementia later on
«Train your body Just as mental health and brain health are deeply entwined, so too are your overall physical health and your brain health»
Aeon+Psyche on Consciousness
Does consciousness come from the brain’s electromagnetic field?
Instead of a code encrypted in the wiring of our neurons, could consciousness reside in the brain’s electromagnetic field?
«Our non-conscious mind appears to be a parallel processor, whereas our conscious mind is a serial processor that can operate only one task at a time.»
Consciousness is not a thing, but a process of inference
The special trick of consciousness is being able to project action and time into a range of possible futures
Aeon+Psyche on Economics
Economics is once again becoming a worldly science
After generations of ‘blackboard economics’, Berkeley and MIT are leading a return to economics that studies the real world
«a preponderance of research that has shown no meaningful disemployment effects of raising minimum wages.»
How did Europe become the richest part of the world?
This is how Europe became the richest place on earth: by being politically fragmented, yet intellectually united
Aeon+Psyche on Philosophy
What public philosophy is, and why we need it more than ever
Public philosophy aims to improve critical thinking so that we gain a better understanding of the world and of ourselves
«blic philosophy initiatives: Michael Sandel’s ‘Justice’ course, the BBC’s History of Ideas animations, or the many popular philosophy podcasts, including History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps from Peter A»
Philosophy is like athletics – theory must be put into practice
The Stoics approached self-improvement as an athlete approaches sport: the key is to keep practising in the face of failure
«When we do not act upon what we think is right, we are acting like an athlete who trains but never competes. What is the point?»
Aeon+Psyche on Psychoanalysis
The truth about tarot
Whether divining ancient wisdoms or elevating the art of cold reading, tarot is a form of therapy, much like psychoanalysis
Why we love tyrants
Psychoanalysis explains how authoritarians energise the hatred, self-pity and delusion while promising heaven on Earth
Aeon+Psyche on Psychology
Why the pull of addictive cravings is so hard to resist
The neuroscientific picture of addiction overlooks the psychological and social factors that make cravings so hard to resist
How to overcome social anxiety
When even everyday social situations make you feel self-conscious and afraid, it’s time to try these well-tested techniques
«Social anxiety tricks you into believing that certain situations cause anxiety, but in reality, your thoughts about the situations drive your anxiety.»
Aeon+Psyche on Relationships
Dogs are symbolic containers of human hopes, desires and vices
In all its baroque and sometimes cruelly overbred forms, the dog is a paramount symbol of both human hopes and foibles
«As a rising middle class started to focus on their own family trees, creating an ‘elite’ from new money, so dogs started to be classified too.»
How should we understand the weird experience of coincidence?
I am an unequivocal rationalist and yet I still want to see something strange and wonderful in life’s weird coincidences
Aeon+Psyche on Self Help
How to be kinder to yourself
Self-compassion techniques aren’t self-indulgent – they’ll tame your inner critic while helping you change for the better
«So I dedicated 10 minutes to sit down and reflect on the same questions I ask my clients to help them clarify their values. These were my answers:»
Self-compassion is not self-indulgence: here’s how to try it
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not self-indulgent to practise self-compassion. In fact, it helps you to care for others
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How imaginary numbers describe the fundamental shape of nature
These odd values were long dismissed as bookkeeping. Now physicists are proving that they describe the hidden shape of nature
How to know what you really want
From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life
«These are people whose desires are in some sense intertwined with your own – they can affect your desires, and you can in turn affect theirs»
On the moral virtues of mischief and mischievous people
Mischievousness requires humour, wit and a playful humaneness: qualities that make for a particular kind of virtue
How to think clearly
By learning to question and clarify your thoughts, you’ll improve your self-knowledge and become a better communicator
«So far as possible, you should try to extract the maximum truthful and reasonable content from what others say, especially if they disagree with you»
How to gain more from your reading
There’s more to words than meets the eye. Deepen your appreciation of literature through the art of slow, attentive reading
«From reading deeply, you gain experience as well as knowledge: you gain from reading literary works in all their unique particularity.»
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