Philosophical Dictionary

Explore antinatalism, the philosophical stance arguing procreation is morally problematic due to life's inherent suffering. This comprehensive guide examines antinatalist arguments, their relationship to climate concerns, demographic trends, and the ethical complexities surrounding reproduction and human existence.

Explore the profound relationship between cosmic nihilism and entropy in this philosophical examination of universal indifference. Discover how thermodynamic laws shape existence and how thinkers like Nietzsche provide frameworks for finding meaning in an uncaring cosmos.

The 2024 U.S. election has taken a surreal turn with Elon Musk and Donald Trump cozying up, all while both camps ironically invoke George Orwell’s "1984" to attack each other. Musk, who frequently warns about dystopias, now mingles with Trump, a figure whose doublespeak mirrors Orwell's warnings. The contradictions are palpable: Musk critiques Big Brother yet controls X (formerly Twitter), a platform central to information manipulation.

Utilitarianism is all about maximizing happiness for the greatest number, a philosophy founded by Jeremy Bentham and refined by John Stuart Mill. Bentham treated all pleasures equally, which led to the joke: “If a pig’s happier than you, it’s better to be the pig!” Mill, worried we’d all become pleasure-chasing pigs, argued that higher pleasures (like thinking) are superior to lower ones (like eating).

Though noble, utilitarianism gets tricky—predicting outcomes and balancing happiness can turn life into mental gymnastics. After all, we can’t analyze every choice, not even pizza toppings!

Explore Mark Fisher's critique of capitalism, focusing on his concept of capitalist realism—the idea that it's easier to imagine global catastrophe than an alternative to capitalism. Tied to Slavoj Žižek's notion of surplus-enjoyment, Fisher argues that capitalism traps us in cycles of unfulfilling desire. While this may seem bleak, I offer ways to navigate capitalism's demands without falling into exploitation, emphasizing the importance of a personal philosophy of life for resisting distractions and finding meaning. For more, subscribe to our Memesletter for digestible philosophical insights.

The meme humorously captures a core truth about philosophy: the ongoing, cyclical nature of philosophical inquiry. From Plato’s idealism to Kant’s critical philosophy, each generation reinterprets timeless questions in new contexts. This continuous dialogue reflects philosophy's dynamic growth, as thinkers build on the past, challenging and refining it, enriching our understanding of the world and ourselves.