The Philosopher's Shirt

Philosophical Dictionary

  • A painting of two Victorian men in a room that is very cluttered with paintings.

    Art Commodity: Walter Benjamin’s Critique of Mass Production in Art

    By Caroline Black

    In this article, let's discuss 20th century thinker Walter Benjamin's insightful criticisms of technology as a means for creating fast-paced art, and its impact on art itself.
  • An FBI Wanted poster with two black and white portraits of Angela Davis, a Black woman with an afro.

    Angela Davis: Marxist Feminism in Action!

    By Caroline Black

    We discuss the life and work of Marxist feminist critical theorist Angela Davis. We offer a taste of her life's work as an activist philosopher.
  • A wall featuring three historical images, two photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and union workers, and an I AM A MAN sign.

    Race: It's a Social Construct but It Matters

    By Caroline Black

    Today we discuss the modern theory of race, its history, and the thinkers who are moving forward to inspire a community where we think about race differently and critically.
  • Apollonian vs Dionysian philosophy banner showing collision of chaotic organic purple-gold forms (Dionysian intoxication) with ordered geometric teal structures (Apollonian reason) against ancient Greek amphora background, illustrating Nietzsche's duality

    When Philosophers Get Drunk: A History of Intoxication and Ideas

    By Markus Uehleke

    Learn how philosophers from ancient Persians to Marx and Nietzsche viewed intoxication. Learn about Herodotus's famous drunk-sober debate method, why Marx wrote Das Kapital during beer-soaked nights, and how thinkers like Huxley and Benjamin explored consciousness through psychedelics. Philosophy meets altered states.
  • The Oscar Wilde statue in Dublin, Ireland: a statue of a man lounging on a rock.

    Suffering from Endless Boredom? Meet Søren Kiekegaard and Ennui

    By Caroline Black

    In today's article we talk about ennui, heading to 19th century France with Charles Baudelaire, and 19th century Denmark with the first existentialist, Soren Kierkegaard.
  • Nietzsche philosophy illustration showing modern person on smartphone walking tightrope over abyss between animal figures and Übermensch, representing Thus Spoke Zarathustra rope metaphor and self-optimization critique

    Nietzsche vs Self-Optimization: Why He'd Hate Your Routine

    By Markus Uehleke

    Discover why Nietzsche would hate modern self-help culture. Learn the real meaning of the Übermensch, the Last Man, and "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Explore how we've turned radical philosophy into comfortable Instagram quotes and why that proves Nietzsche's point about cultural decline.