The Seducer’s Diary: How a 19th-Century Philosopher Anticipated the Pick-up Artist Movement

Valizadeh, aka “Roosh V.” is one of the more visible “Pick Up Artist” (PUA) figures, and one of the most overtly sexist. He’s written a series of books on how to sleep with women in various countries such as Brazil, (“Poor favela chicks are very easy, but quality is a serious problem”) but advises his readers to avoid Denmark as Nordic social democracy has made Danish women too independent. He cites Arthur Schopenhauer to argue that women are less rational than men and so should be controlled by them. He insists “no” usually doesn’t mean no, and anyway women should understand that men just can’t stop themselves (so much for all that rational decision making…).

At Once Tiny and Huge: What is This Feeling We Call ‘Sublime’?

Have you ever felt awe and exhilaration while contemplating a vista of jagged, snow-capped mountains? Or been fascinated but also a bit unsettled while beholding a thunderous waterfall such as Niagara? Or felt existentially insignificant but strangely exalted while gazing up at the clear, starry night sky? If so, then you’ve had an experience of what philosophers from the mid-18th century to the present call the sublime. It is an aesthetic experience that modern, Western philosophers often theorise about, as well as, more recently, experimental psychologists and neuroscientists in the field of neuroaesthetics.

Aestheticism: A Minimalist Conceptual Graphic from Philographics

Aestheticism. The belief that our main efforts in life should be focused on creating and enjoying beauty, in all its forms.

To Tell the Truth: ‘Truth Hath a Scratched Face’

Sanctimonious people everywhere denounce damn lies and the lying liars who tell them. Speaking the truth, they imply, would cure our political and personal ills. Its absence is the cause of our woes. But is telling the truth really good for you?

What’s the Opposite of a Relativist?

Spin the bottle in any college dorm and you’ll kiss a relativist. But have you ever set lips on an absolutist?