Philosophical

Some facts about Pepe are certain. He was heavy even for his thick-set genus, reported to have weighed between four and five tonnes. With a land speed of up to 22 mph and ivory stakes protruding from those pink gums at random angles, he was a forceful reminder that his species is one of the deadliest on the planet, causing an estimated 500 human deaths per year.Native to sub-Saharan Africa but born in Colombian cocaine king Pablo Escobar’s private menagerie and shot in its vicinity after escaping from captivity in 2009,…

Canadian writer Sheila Heti’s 2010 breakout novel sought to interrogate its titular puzzler, How Should a Person Be? It’s become a continuing quest, but over the course of a career that now finds her publishing her 12th book, she’s also asked readers to consider again and again another question: how should prose be? Pairing philosophical inquiry with formal experimentation, she’s drawn inspiration from sources as scattered as reality TV, the I Ching and chatbot utterances, expanding our thinking about structure, character…

When it happened, it was most unexpected: I had not thought that I would end up living in, of all places, the Philippines. I was already well into my forties and had never lived anywhere but India. Dreams of going West, to the usual places, for the usual reasons, had loomed large in my life plans when I was in high school and college, but there was no money even for a ticket. I stayed. Jobs turned into a career and the years went by in a rush of deadlines. Before I knew it, I was suddenly 40. I think that’s when it…

Can philosophy help us with worldly troubles? Ancient philosophers thought the answer was obvious. Philosophy is a “medical art for the soul”, Cicero tells us. Its compassionate task is to lead us from suffering towards a life lived well. Contemporary philosophers are likely to be more circumspect. Wouldn’t it be presumptuous to think that my training in philosophy equips me to offer advice? The only CPR I know is the Critique of Pure Reason and the tools of my trade – a careful distinction here, some logic-chopping there…

Meta is in a “very deep, philosophical competition” with Apple over the future of technology and the metaverse. Metaverse is the talk of the town. Every individual is (knowingly or unknowingly) becoming a part of this Virtual world. Tech giants are doing everything in their power to stand tall when it comes to this latest technology. The silent dominance war between Meta and Apple is now taking a turn towards Metaverse. Meta has publicly staked its future on the metaverse, framing it as a constellation…