Jonny Thomson
Jonny Thomson taught philosophy in Oxford for more than a decade before turning to writing full-time. He’s a staff writer at Big Think, where he writes about philosophy, theology, psychology, and occasionally other subjects when he dares step out of his lane. His first book, Mini Philosophy, is an award-winning, international bestseller, and has been translated into 20 languages. His second book, Mini Big Ideas, was published in 2023.
Ditch the old brain vs. heart assumptions, and instead think about a heart-led brain.
Or are cults the religions we find distasteful?
Ways to move forward when you’re wrong and I’m right.
Prolonged and repetitive tasks rewire us in profound ways – which can be a force for good at work.
Depression applies to individuals and businesses alike — and so does the solution.
Parents will sometimes use children as weapons in their relationship battles — and the fallout can be devastating.
Intentions tend to get mangled by overreach in every complex organization — so dial up the charisma and the clarity.
Millions of people have had a near-death experience, and it often leads them to believe in an afterlife. Does this count as good proof?
We each have the same 24 hours in the day. How will you spend yours?
How to say, “In many ways, Proust is similar to Joyce” and get away with it.
The corporate unicorn was yesterday — now we should consider the wisdom of black and white stripes.
A controversial new philosophy paper tries to bring our moral prejudices to heel. Should it?
With great power comes retcon responsibility.
Acting “little and often” has huge consequences and they’re not always good — but awareness yields solutions.
From Æthelred the Unready to Halfdan the Bad Entertainer, these strange epithets colored the legacy of four rather unlucky historical figures.
Big Think spoke with AI expert Nick Jennings about the future of regulating fast-evolving AI.
The essential element needed for innovation is creative dissonance — and the keys to unlocking it were forged by bankers in Italy.
Lockdowns moved the burden of COVID from the at-risk elderly to the less-at-risk young. Does this sacrifice merit compensation?
How to figure out the right amount of time for any project.
When ancient humans stared into the darkness, they imagined monsters. Today, staring into the future, AI is the monster.
The problem with carnivores turned omnivores.
A single knife is sometimes worth more than a thousand armies.
Exile is a kind of death of who you once were.
That completely useless thing you want to get rid of — it’s probably more important than you think.
Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed.
There are many things in life that cannot be improved with greater effort. Sometimes, life requires that you step back.
In hospice care and hospitals, we prioritize those with more life to live over those who are terminally ill. What is that, if not prejudice?
We often assume that movement means progress and that doing something is better than doing nothing. That is often not true.
We are wired to value things more when we work hard at attaining them — even if, objectively, they aren’t worth that much.