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Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
Mini Philosophy is a place to slow down and think. It creates space to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe, away from the noise and busyness of everyday life.
Through essays, interviews, and its newsletter, Mini Philosophy makes philosophy accessible and human. Subscribers get exclusive conversations with leading philosophers and become part of a thoughtful, supportive community of curious minds.
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Jonny Thomson is a Big Think columnist and the award-winning, bestselling author of three books translated into 22 languages. A former philosophy teacher in Oxford, he is known for making philosophy accessible, relatable, and engaging.
Mini Philosophy
The daffodil’s guide to outliving the winter
👁 A sliced onion bulb with roots and stem, illuminated from behind and set against a black background, resembles the delicate layers of daffodils in bloom.
What a fragile flower can teach us about resilience, death, and becoming someone new.
👁 Illustration in Aztec style showing four people with headdresses holding plants, a flower, and a drum, appearing to engage in a ceremonial or festive activity that explores themes of moral luck.
Nick was always an angry boy, but he was unlucky as well.
👁 Three women in historical attire are shown reading different books, captured in a detailed, vintage-style illustration with fine linework.
Skim or scan this. No need to deep-read.
👁 Illustration of a person in a suit with a birdcage as a head; a red bird is perched inside the cage, symbolizing indoctrination and the constraints placed on free thought.
Some people are always at war.
👁 Two illustrated flowers, one red and one white, stand in grass with handwritten text and red paint splatters in the background, evoking a sense of myth and timeless storytelling.
Ambition. Descent. Wisdom.
👁 Three men in dark clothing sit and talk on a small boat in a harbor with ships and calm water in the background, under a hazy sky.
"Broadly speaking, it's at least plausible, this might be right."
👁 A person's hand stupidly reaches toward the open mouth of a crocodile with visible sharp teeth against a gradient background.
How many stupid acts does it take to make a person stupid?
👁 A woman in white approaches a large, winged creature with a human face—an embodiment of ancient archtypes—partially hidden behind a rock in a mountainous landscape.
I'm definitely a Kitsune, but would a Kitsune actually say that?
👁 A man in overalls, an example of epistemic trespassing, holds wrenches while standing between surgeons in scrubs and masks performing surgery.
Not all knowledge carries over.
👁 A person in white clothing is partially emerging from a wooden coffin, one hand gripping the lid and the other reaching out, evoking a sense of nostalgia for stories of the past.
Today, nostalgia is somewhat kitsch. Back then, it was something to be feared.
👁 Two people sit on white chairs facing each other, both smiling and dressed formally, on a brightly lit stage with a blue and white background.
People don't want you to buy their stories — they want you to listen to them.
👁 Person wearing a Santa Claus suit rakes sand in a purposeful pattern, resembling a Zen garden, against a beige background.
Santa's done really well this year.
👁 A woman in a blue floral robe looks at her reflection in a mirror, her back partially turned to the viewer as she contemplates her identity.
Who polices our identities?
👁 A close-up drawing of a woman's face with her eyes closed, head tilted back in pleasure, and dramatic shadows cast across her cheeks and lips.
Pleasure is never bad — but its source can be.
👁 A woman with long red hair, wearing a puffer jacket, stands outdoors with passion in her gaze—holding binoculars and looking up as a camera hangs from her neck.
Be weird and esoteric because humans are weird and esoteric.
👁 A person with an illustrated book as a head—pages open, filled with wavy black lines—appears to be brain reading as they stand against a plain light green background.
The technology might be much closer than you'd think.
👁 A woman displays stoicism as she grimaces, unfazed by a pancake landing on her head while holding a frying pan in a kitchen setting.
Ryan Holiday on why wisdom depends on failure, experimentation, and the courage to admit when we’re wrong.
👁 Two women at a window; one leans on the sill smiling, perhaps sharing jokes, while the other stands behind, partially concealed, holding a white cloth to her face.
Is your humor affiliative or adversarial?
👁 Six orange origami shapes on a light background, with hand-drawn arrows connecting them to illustrate a progression or transformation—evoking themes of change and even human extinction.
Maybe — just don't expect a carbon copy.
👁 Japanese woodblock print of people sweeping and cleaning a kondo, with straw mats, lanterns, and various objects visible in the background.
It's not just about the home; it's about everything.
Learn from the world’s biggest thinkers.
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