The consolations of philosophy

A new book “Anxiety – a philosophical guide” outlines four strands of philosophical inquiry – Buddhism, existentialism, psychoanalysis, and critical theory – might offer comfort to the worried and distressed.

Room to dream

Best known for films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive and the hugely influential television series Twin Peaks, American director David Lynch has died at the age of 78.

Triple-J turns 50

JJJ is turning 50, so what does it mean when the national youth broadcaster hits middle age?

The many lives of Yukio Mishima

Yukio Mishima is remembered as much for the absurd theatricality of his death as his outstanding literary achievements, but, on the centenary of his birth, he remains one of the most compelling and controversial figures of post-war Japan.

Worshiping technology

A new book – Tech Agnostic by Greg Epstein – argues that technology has become the world’s most powerful religion and needs a reformation already.

Ten of the best

From Samantha Harvey’s spellbinding Booker winner Orbital to Percival Everett’s ambitious retelling of Huckleberry Finn, James, these are the books that made the most lasting impression on the Conversation’s expert reviewers.

Another side of Bob Dylan

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, focuses on Dylan’s early 1960s transition from idiosyncratic singer of folk songs to internationally renowned singer-songwriter.

Icing on the Christmas cake

We’re all familar with the Nativity scene, but the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2 is only four lines long so it’s no wonder so many of the well-loved elements of the Christmas story are embellishments to an otherwise sparse text.

Not great men

The view of Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle that “the history of the world is but the biography of great men” has long been superseded in academic circles by the Marxist view of history as the inexorable grind of class struggle, but even on the radical left “great men” emerge, and one of them was David Graeber, however much publishers may distort his work.

Glam tidings of joy

British glam rockers Slade made “Merry Xmas Everybody” a seasonal hit for the ages and it’s back in the charts this year.

Mento patriotism

The ‘soft’ cultural patriotism celebrated by modern Australians can only survive if encased by the ‘hard’ patriotism required to protect this country and its way of life.

Living in Australia

Arts Project Australia has been supporting artists with intellectual disabilities for more than 50 years and a new exhibition showcases their work.