Why the Aziz Ansari story blew up ... Are women like "Grace" damned if they do, damned if they don't? ... Libertarianism and consent ... Katie Roiphe vs. the creator of the Shitty Media Men list ... Is giving the benefit of the doubt possible in the age of the Twitter mob? ... Having good politics vs. being a good person ...

How psychosis and prayer can make invisible entities ‘real’ ... Why the voices heard by American schizophrenics are especially mean ... Turning madness into vocation: the shamans of West Africa ... Why talking to one’s hallucinations is a good idea ... How evangelicals shape their God ... 'Remembering’ past lives in Scientology and ‘satanic ritual abuse’ in therapy ...

Thomas describes a modern narcissism epidemic ... Does a lack of self-esteem fuel narcissism? ... Why is a focus on the "self" ubiquitous in mindfulness? ... Challenging the health claims of mindfulness meditation ... Why "self-compassion meditation" makes both Josh and Thomas uncomfortable ... The common ground between mindfulness and stoicism ...

Stephen and Rami present: “The Evolution of Emotion” puppet show ... How ancient societies managed their earthly impulses ... The human anger displayed in Greek mythology ... Marcus Aurelius’s concept of the “wise man” ... Hafez, the drunk Sufi poet ... How does culture influence our core emotions? ... Are animals capable of feeling anger? ... Stephen on how horror plays on our most primal fears ...

Who was Joseph Campbell? ... Applying the idea of the monomyth to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ... Can we disentangle myths from culture? ... Cinderella and mental health ... How Jonathan uses mythology in psychotherapy ... Is it healthy to think of yourself as a hero on a quest? ... Religion and the experience of meaning vs. the idea of meaning ...

Dan and Massimo’s dueling essays on the Greek concept of eudaimonia ... Who can claim to be truly satisfied with life? ... What Kant and the Stoics have in common ... Are humans more than their internal moral lives? ... Dan: Building moral character requires interaction with society ... Is philosophy going corporate? ...

Tim explains what it means to believe in free will ... Biology and free will ... Science and casuality ... Why Tim takes seriously the "naive stance" on free will and moral responsibility ... Is subjective experience irreducible? ... Determinism and deism ... Philosophy departments aren’t as atheistic as you’d think ...

Dan's new book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics ... The liberation of realizing you're crazy (and so is everyone else) ... Why Dan gave names to his inner voices ... Dan's 10% Happier meditation app ... Dan: One minute of mindfulness meditation a day can be enough ... Applying the Buddhist metaphor of the "second arrow" to everyday life ... Meditating without losing your edge ...

Is “dehumanization” really the root of cruelty? ... How love deludes us ... Paul: Empathy makes us morally stupid ... The weird psychology of the Trump era ... What people get wrong about Harvey Weinstein and dehumanization ... When is objectification morally acceptable? ... Keeping our worst selves in check ... Getting pleasure out of your own pain ...

Midlife and coming to terms with who we aren't ... Is the midlife crisis different for men and women? ... Kieran: Disappointment is a given for the mid-career academic ... There’s more to life than minimizing suffering ... Schopenhauer (and the Buddha): Dissatisfaction is inherent in desire ... Bob suggests a familiar culprit: selfhood ...