Here’s all our articles on

Ideas

Was Epicurus an Atheist?

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? Epicurus (according to Lactantius)...

The Constancy of Change: Heraclitus

You have probably heard the statement, “Everything flows” or maybe “You can’t step into the same river twice”. Both are statements attributed to the great philosopher and mystic Heraclitus of Ephesus. If one ploughs through the surviving fragments that we have from...

The Four Elements: Earth, Fire, Wind and Water (Empedocles)

What is the universe made of? What is the arche? Is it one singular primordial thing or is it many things? Is it water or is it fire? Earth or air? For most of the ancient pre-Socratic philosophers the fundamental reality was made out of one single substance, though...

The Arche: Reality According to the Pre-Socratic Natural Philosophers

The Arche. The origins. The primordial matter of the universe. What is reality and what is it made of? What is its essence? Could it be water? Or perhaps wind? Maybe earth? Mayhap fire? A combination of the above? Maybe its more likely that the Arche is something...

Morality and Virtue in The Prince by Machiavelli

What is good and is it always wise to choose virtue over vice? What if choosing to do good led to your demise, would you still do good or would you consider being cunning and maybe appear to be whatever is needed in that situation which leads to your well-being. In...

10+ Ideas that Have Shaped Western Civilization

When it comes to moments that have changed the course of history, we usually think of inventions like writing, the wheel, and the lightbulb. But what about the numerous ideas that have caused massive upheavals in the way we think and how the world spins? There are...

Book of the Dead: Ancient Egyptian Magical Spells & Funerary Text

The information contained in the Egyptian Book of the Dead acted as guidebook for the recently deceased in the ancient Egyptian world. Life, death and the afterlife were all central themes of the Egyptian way of life. This was not only frequently reflected in various...

5+ Influential Ideas that Shaped the 19th Century

The rationalist philosophies of the Enlightenment and the subsequent emotionally-driven response of Romanticism—both movements in of the 18th century—were fuel for the intellectual fires of thought that raged in the 19th century. Here are five movements that made a...

Carl Jung and His Most Influential Ideas

Carl Jung is one of the most recognized names in the study of psychology and literature. Once a friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud, he split over some differences in belief—while they both shared an initial interest in the unconscious, they differed over the...

5 Life Lessons to Learn from Studying Mythology

Every culture has its own mythology. In times past, people lived and died with myths and legends that explained everything in their universe—and beyond. These days, it can be hard to look back at the myths of ancient peoples and find meaning. Certainly these stories...