Do we have free will? What does it mean to know something? Do our senses accurately reflect reality? What is reality? What is the difference between the material and the immaterial? What is Self? What is consciousness? Where do thoughts come from?
These are all questions that philosophy attempts to answer. However, not many are willing to venture into this dangerous territory—there’s an unfortunate perception that the subject matter of philosophy is too complex, obscure, and impractical. And while ancient philosophical works are indeed often difficult to read, philosophy isn’t just an abstract preoccupation for bored intellectuals. It attempts to answer questions that concern us all.
We hope these resources satisfy your thirst for knowledge and help you find your answers to the big questions that philosophy attempts to answer.
Philosophy Resources
With science paving the way for a greater understanding of both the world and ourselves, it’s easy to dismiss philosophy as a useless pursuit. Physicist Stephen Hawking even went as far as declaring philosophy dead.
But this statement cannot be further from the truth. Learning philosophy is a great way to stretch the mind with some food for thought. It can also help us grapple with the kinds of questions that science can’t answer.
If you want to learn about philosophy, we’ve got you covered with the best resources on a wide range of philosophical matters, from mundane and practical to existential and metaphysical.
Best Philosophy Blogs & Magazines
Whether you’re into Stoicism, ethics, existential philosophy, or metaphysics, there’s likely a blog about it. The following is our roundup of the best philosophy blogs and magazines to follow for a daily dose of wisdom and food for thought.
The School of Life is an educational company dedicated to helping people lead more fulfilled lives with the help of insights from Western Philosophy. Their teachings are premised on eight key principles: accept imperfection, share vulnerability, know your insanity, accept your idiocy, you are good enough, overcome romanticism, despair cheerfully, and transcend yourself. On the blog, you’ll find bite-sized articles that offer a philosophical take on various human dilemmas, both mundane and existential.
High Existence is a media platform devoted to helping people make sense of the human experience and grapple with the big questions of meaning, ethics, and morality. They cover a breadth of topics, from religion to psychedelic exploration. Their special focus is on Stoicism—a branch of philosophy that emphasizes reason as a means of understanding both the world and oneself—so, you’ll find a lot of references to Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca.
Launched in 1991, Philosophy Now is a British bi-monthly magazine. It publishes essays on all branches of philosophy, from ethics and epistemology (the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge) to aesthetics (beauty) and metaphysics (the nature of being). This magazine isn’t free, but a subscription is totally worth it—the content is profound, expertly written, and thought-provoking. Free readers can access four articles per month.
New Philosopher is an independent online publication devoted to distilling the wisdom of the great philosophical thinkers, both past and present. The goal is to help readers make sense of life’s big questions and expand their perspective on the issues plaguing modern societies. While full access to the magazine requires a subscription, there’s a fair amount of free content too.
Academy of Ideas is a blog created by two brothers from Canada. They are passionate about philosophy and want to make the ideas of history’s great minds available to the public. On their blog, you’ll find bite-sized articles distilling the ideas of ancient Western thinkers on all things philosophy, especially as it applies to personal development.
The Philosopher’s Magazine is an online publication whose contributors are exclusively professional philosophers and essayists. They publish a wide range of content including opinions, news, interviews, and book reviews. There’s plenty of free content to enjoy, or you can subscribe for full access.
Daily Philosophy is on the mission to apply ancient philosophical teachings to modern-day dilemmas. On the blog, you’ll find bite-sized articles distilling wisdom from history’s greatest minds on everyday problems with articles like What to Do When People Talk S**t and When Lying Is Justified.
Philosophy of Life is run by Jules Evans, a speaker and a published author of several books on philosophy. On his blog, he explores recent cultural and technological developments from a philosophical perspective and shares his “ideas and practices to suffer less and flourish more.”
Julian Baggini is a personal blog that publishes “small thoughts about big things and big thoughts about small things.” Some of the key themes are book reviews, philosophical perspectives on consumerism, veganism, and thoughts on current affairs.
Best Philosophy Podcasts
Listening to philosophy podcasts is great if you like consuming content on the go (e.g. during your morning run or while driving to work). What are the best philosophy podcasts to listen to? It depends on what school of philosophy you are interested in. Do you want to learn about Metaphysics? Stoicism? Existentialism?
Here is our list of the best philosophy podcasts to follow in 2022.
Launched in 2007, Philosophy Bites is a podcast series run by Nigel Warburton and David Edmonds. They invite top, present-day philosophers and interview them on individual topics with philosophical underpinnings (e.g. free will, consciousness, hedonism, death, etc.). Their podcast has been downloaded over 41 million times and is moving close to 50 million.
Partially Examined Life is a podcast “by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it.” In each episode, they select a philosophical text and discuss their interpretations of the key arguments. Sometimes, they also bring on experts to discuss their take on life’s big questions.
The Synchronicity podcast explores “subtle realities that connect us all.” Host Noah Lampert invites guests to speak about the nature of reality and what lies beyond. They delve into topics such as consciousness, collective unconscious, spirituality, psychedelic voyages, and more. There’s a lot of philosophical discussion going on, although it’s not specifically focused on Western Philosophy.
Life, Death and the Space Between
In Life, Death and the Space Between psychologist and medium Amy Robbins explores things like death, consciousness, existential angst, and ways to live in harmony with yourself and others. Her podcast consistently holds up in the top 25 Religion and Spirituality chart.
Philosophize This! with Stephen West is an educational podcast about philosophy aimed at beginners. In each episode, West discusses ancient philosophers and then applies their teachings to modern-day dilemmas. At the end, he poses a thought-provoking question for the listener to ponder.
The Philosopher’s Zone is a podcast produced by Australia’s ABC Radio National. Host Alan Saunders, a Ph.D. in Philosophy, hosts the show with an inquisitive yet light-hearted manner, exploring how philosophical teachings can help us approach contemporary concerns of humanity.
Micro-Digressions: A Philosophy Podcast
In Micro-Digressions, host Spencer Case ventures into “philosophical excursions into interesting, and often controversial topics.” His discussions are focused on modern-day and ever-relevant dilemmas facing humanity rather than on the teachings of specific philosophers.
Final Words
Philosophy is a treasure trove of practical wisdom on the big questions of life. Fortunately, these treasures are no longer buried in complex and long-winded abstractions. Today, philosophical teachings are accessible to layman readers too—you just have to know where to look.
If you want to learn philosophy, we’ve got you covered with the best philosophy resources, including blogs, magazines, and podcasts listed above! As a side note, we also have our own philosophy corner here at Shortform. Our philosophy blog features little snippets of philosophical wisdom discussed in Shortform guides of the best philosophy books including Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, and The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday.
Did we miss your favorite philosophy blog, magazine, or podcast? Let us know in the comments!
