Thomas Browne – religion as passion and pastime, part 2: Religio Medici
Roz Kaveney: How to believe: Browne's book was an intellectual's expression of simple and, for the most part, uncomplicated faith in Protestant Christianity
Daniel Dennett: ‘You can make Aristotle look like a flaming idiot’
Daniel Dennett, a cheerleader for Darwin and atheism, attracts fierce criticism for his views on free will. He tells Julian Baggini about his new book and explains why philosophers have to walk a tightrope
Thomas Browne – religion as passion and pastime, part 1: reason within limits
Roz Kaveney: How to believe: Browne sought to partner empirical observation with his Anglican faith, yet we can also learn from the one time he failed to do so
Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception by Claudia Hammond – review
Why do we perceive time differently according to circumstances? Radio 4 presenter Claudia Hammond has some interesting answers, writes Robin McKie
The Frankfurt school, part 7: what’s left?
Peter Thompson: How to believe: Habermas and Honneth represent both a break with the Frankfurt school and continuity around the theme of reification
Optimism is appealing, but pessimism, alarm and anxiety have their uses
Ian Jack: Some believe the world, and humanity, is still capable of improving itself, but the endorsements for pessimism are often more persuasive
Gill Howie obituary
Other lives: Inspirational professor and philosopher who sought to develop feminist philosophy
The Frankfurt school, part 3: Dialectic of Enlightenment
Peter Thompson: How to believe: Adorno and Horkheimer wrote this key text during their wartime exile, arriving at a pessimistic view of our place in a false system
Lucretius, part 9: the calculating poet
Emma Woolerton: How to believe: Why did Lucretius choose to write in poetry? The answer lies in his evangelism for both Epicureanism and his own legacy
Running With the Pack by Mark Rowlands; Running Like a Girl by Alexandra Heminsley – review
Two books on the joy of running are equally inspirational but in very different ways, writes Miranda Sawyer
Lucretius, part 7: becoming a god
Emma Woolerton: Lucretius's Epicurean philosophy doesn't deny gods' existence, only that they affect us. Instead, we must aim to be as them
Lucretius, part 5: all perceptions are true
Emma Woolerton: How to believe: Everything we see is made up of the infinite atoms that swirl about us. These perceptions are the basis of our certain knowledge about the world
How Harry Styles and his boy band could see off the Arts Council
Marina Hyde: Alain de Botton believes his new philosopher friend and One Direction star could boost the UK's intellectual capacity almost single-handedly. All Harry needs is help from David Beckham
Ronald Dworkin obituary
Brilliant philosopher of law who put human dignity at the centre of his moral system
Harry Styles, if you’re reading this – less Socrates and better lyrics, please
Ally Fogg: Alain de Botton is wrong to ask the One Direction star to tell his fans to read Hegel. Styles just needs to get them all thinking