Philosophical Dictionary

We explain philosophy memes so you actually know why you're laughing.

We reflect here on the disparity between statistical data collection and the actually philosophical field of human cognition.

Occam’s razor is quoted to win arguments, debunk conspiracy theories and pick between scientific theories. It is named after a medieval friar who never wrote its most famous sentence, and it does not say the simplest explanation is true. So what does the principle actually say, and when should you put the razor down?

Marble Marcus Aurelius heads, three quotes and a lot of confidence: Stoicism memes are everywhere, and the trend has a newsletter, a free online course and a Reddit army behind it. Critics call it neoliberal self-help. A prisoner of war leaned on it and modern therapy borrowed from it. Who reads the Stoics right?

Inkompetenzkompensationskompetenz sounds like a typing accident, but the German philosopher Odo Marquard meant it seriously: philosophy, once competent for everything, is left with one skill. Career websites now use the word for bluffers. Who is right, and what can philosophers actually do that nobody else does?