Jonny Thomson

Jonny Thomson

Author and philosopher

Jonny Thomson taught philosophy in Oxford for more than a decade before turning to writing full-time. He’s a columnist at Big Think and is the award-winning, bestselling author of three books that have been translated into 22 languages.

Jonny is also the founder of Mini Philosophy, a social network of around two million curious, intelligent minds. He's known all over the world for making philosophy accessible, relatable, and fun. 

Pencil sketch of bare feet walking, with orange outlines of footprints marking the path on a light background.
In technology, we make cumulative advances that withstand time. Not so in politics and ethics, argues philosopher John Gray.
Blue-toned image of bookshelves with the text: “The Philosopher’s Guide to Uncertainty. Members-Only Live Event. Big Think Members.”.
56mins
Members
How can we take control of our lives when so much is out of our hands?
A sunflower with a detailed close-up of its center, showcasing spiral patterns intertwined with mathematics. Fibonacci sequence and mathematical diagrams elegantly overlay a serene blue background.
The artistic and the mathematical mind are not so far apart.
A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop placed in a grassy field with three sheep grazing in the background.
46mins
Jonny Thomson walks through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's 3 conditions for stupidity that destroys societies: outsourcing your thinking to an authority, willful ignorance, and conformity. 
A split image: left side shows an empty bench and rocking chair by a lake, evoking a sense of nostalgia; right side shows a person in a white shirt walking outdoors, partially obscured by a torn-paper effect.
The philosopher Svetlana Boym argues that "nostos" encourages people to reject the world as it is and seek to return to a better time — real or imagined.
A squirrel sits on a rock facing a standing bear in a forest setting, both animals appearing to observe each other closely.
People are almost always different to how we imagine them
An illustration of a house in a forest, with part of a man's face drawn on one side—evoking transcendentalism—nestled among green trees and dark foliage.
How a culture of independence gave rise to a philosophy of self-reliance, solitude, and inner authority.
A person with brown hair looks thoughtfully at their reflection in a handheld mirror, resting their head on one hand against a plain background, lost in quiet philosophy.
Throwing away the narratives that pull us down and make us unhappy.
A silhouette of an adult holding a young child, both faces partially visible, embodies the tenderness of parenting against a soft, gradient blue and beige background.
The family might be a terrible way to raise kids. But it's the best we have.
A stylized drawing of a classical statue’s eyes is overlaid with a pale abstract shape resembling a bird's head and wing, evoking themes of dead closure, all set against a beige background.
Why we shouldn't necessarily outsource our thinking to dead people.
A sliced onion bulb with roots and stem, illuminated from behind and set against a black background, resembles the delicate layers of daffodils in bloom.
What the near-death experiences of daffodils can teach us about resilience, death, and becoming someone new.
a painting of a group of men standing next to each other.
From landscaped gardens to road systems, the Persians were among the first to create many things we still enjoy today.
A photo of a woman with her face blanked out is taped to a background filled with handwritten writing. She wears a pink top and gold hoop earring, her hand resting near her collarbone.
"I will not reason and compare: my business is to create."