Thomas Nail
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Articles by Thomas Nail
Philosophy Today
Volume 70, Issue 1, Winter 2026 Philosophy in a Planetary Age: Thomas Nail Pages 69-74 Climate Migration as Planetary Primitive Accumulation This essay argues that contemporary climate migration must be understood not simply as a response to environmental disaster, but as a central mechanism of planetary primitive accumulation under global capitalism.
The Philosophy of Movement
"Nail is one of those contemporary thinkers who is trying to chart a path for what the philosophy of the future might be, and he has a vision of philosophy that is as unabashedly systematic as Hegel or Leibniz." —Daniel W. Smith, from the Foreword "The Philosophy of Movement brings an unrelenting focus on motion as fundamental. How might we think, what new concepts might we create, if motion is fundamental rather than relative to something stable?
The Movement of Time
We talk about the movement of time but does time move, or does movement occur in time? This is a fundamental question in the philosophy of time that philosophers and physicists are still trying to answer. Interestingly, one of the most original and shockingly contemporary answers to this question was given by the first-century Roman poet Lucretius almost two millennia ago. Lucretius believed that nature was composed of continually moving matter whose spontaneous swerving loci).
Matter and Motion: A Brief History of Kinetic Materialism
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The brain's tendency to see faces that aren't there may be innate to spiritual experiences
Three thousand years ago, in ancient China, sages stuck red hot pokers into empty turtle shells to study the way cracks developed on the flat side of the shell. Depending on the pattern made by the cracks, the sages would predict the future and speak with the ancestors. What is the basis for these and other prophetic visions throughout history? Why did Moses see God in the flames of a burning bush and the Greeks hear the voice of Zeus in the wind of the sacred oak tree of Dodona?
Winter 2022: Planet (The New Basics series)
Publication Date: 4th February 2022 124 Pages Over four issues to be published in 2022, The New Basics will consider 50 “keywords” on four themes: 1) Planet, 2) Society, 3) Person, and 4) Philosophy, providing a provocative introduction to central philosophical concepts, one that excavates the seismic intellectual and social changes of the past half-century. The New Basics aspires to transform the world through transforming our representational devices.
Why is walking so good for the brain? Blame it on the 'spontaneous fluctuations'
Like most people, I have been walking more than usual during the pandemic and enjoying it. My meetings with students and colleagues have turned into walking meetings around campus for over a year. Now, I have a problem: School is starting soon, and I don't want to go back to the classroom. We all saw this coming. Give employees a taste of the outdoors, and they might not want to go back to their offices and desks. So I am thinking of teaching my fall courses outside.
Why is walking so good for the brain? Blame it on the "spontaneous fluctuations"
Like most people, I have been walking more than usual during the pandemic and enjoying it. My meetings with students and colleagues have turned into walking meetings around campus for over a year. Now, I have a problem: School is starting soon, and I don't want to go back to the classroom. We all saw this coming. Give employees a taste of the outdoors, and they might not want to go back to their offices and desks. So I am thinking of teaching my fall courses outside.
Why our "wandering brains" are wired to love art and nature
Have you ever looked at the side of a cliff and seen a face in the rock, like the Old Man on the Mountain famously minted on the New Hampshire quarter? Or perhaps you have seen clouds in the shape of dragons, or the face of Jesus on a piece of burnt toast? If so, you have experienced what psychologists call "pareidolia" — finding meaningful images in visual patterns.
Artificial intelligence research may have just hit a dead end -- here's why
Haley Joel Osment in Steven Spielberg's AI (Amblin Entertainment/ Stanley Kubrick Productions) Philip K. Dick's iconic 1968 sci-fi novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" posed an intriguing question in its title: would an intelligent robot dream? In the 53 years since publication, artificial intelligence research has matured significantly.
Artificial intelligence research may have hit a dead end
Philip K. Dick's iconic 1968 sci-fi novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" posed an intriguing question in its title: would an intelligent robot dream? In the 53 years since publication, artificial intelligence research has matured significantly. And yet, despite Dick being prophetic about technology in other ways, the question posed in the title is not something AI researchers are that interested in; no one is trying to invent an android that dreams of electric sheep. Why?
What Sort of Kinetic Materialism Did Marx Find in Epicurus?
Dear Reader, we make this and other articles available for free online to serve those unable to afford or access the print edition of Monthly Review. If you read the magazine online and can afford a print subscription, we hope you will consider purchasing one. Please visit the MR store for subscription options. Thank you very much. —Eds. (Apr 01, 2021) Marx in Motion: A New Materialist Marxism by Thomas Nail.
Most brain activity is "background noise" - and that's upending our understanding of consciousness
What are you thinking about right now? Have you ever wondered why it's so hard to answer this simple question when someone asks? There is a reason. 95 percent of your brain's activity is entirely unconscious. Of the remaining 5 percent of brain activity, only around half is intentionally directed. The vast majority of what goes on in our heads is unknown and unintentional.
Why Making Our Brains Noisier Feels Good
Not since World War II has there been as great a threat to mental health as the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to Aiden James. The challenges to our mental health won’t “stop when the virus is under control and there are few people in hospital,” the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom told The Guardian recently.
Why Making Our Brains Noisier Feels Good
ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. or Join now . Health A counterintuitive approach to improving our mental health. Sign up for the free Nautilus newsletter: Not since World War II has there been as great a threat to mental health as the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to Aiden James.
Time Will Tell: An Interview with Thomas Nail
Thomas Nail is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Denver. He is the author of seven books; his most recent is Theory of the Image (Oxford University Press, 2019). Congratulations on such an absolutely impressive array of scholarship, and of your dedication to philosophy and beyond in your career and teaching. In other words, for the time it takes to do the level of research, writing, ratiocinating, and creative flow, not to mention hard work, that you undertake.
Public Seminar | Eurozine
Public Seminar is dedicated to informing debate about the pressing issues of our times and creating a global intellectual commons. An independent project of The New School Publishing Initiative, Public Seminar is produced by New School faculty, students and staff, and supported by colleagues and collaborators around the globe. Public Seminar is, above all things, dedicated to the intellectual and cultural work of democracy, and is open to a range of perspectives.
Owning up to anguish
The Norwegian NGO Iris Center is one of the few aid organizations with a presence in the overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Chios. Interviewed for Syn og Segn by a fellow volunteer, Janne Hegna speaks of the hopelessness felt after the 2016 EU–Turkey agreement to curb migration to Europe: ‘The international press lost interest.
Why a Roman philosopher's views on the fear of death matter as coronavirus spreads
With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them. A first-century B.C. Roman poet and philosopher, Lucretius was worried that our fear of death could lead to irrational beliefs and actions that could harm society.
Operetta wars on a pandemic
Eurozine newsletter 5/2020 Subscribe to the Eurozine newsletter and get weekly updates on our publishing and our 90+ partner journals. Is a world economy possible without massive overconsumption? Can almost 8 billion people find sustainable means of living when global capitalism fails us yet again? Who is responsible for the health of humankind, and who bears the cost of neglect? The coronavirus crisis poses a plethora of uncomfortable questions.
Why a Roman philosopher’s views on the fear of death matter as coronavirus spreads
Image via Wikimedia Commons. by Thomas Nail March 18, 2020 Written by The Conversation, Thomas Nail March 18, 2020 Thomas Nail, University of Denver With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them.
Attention to the Unseen
Lucretius Carus. Internet Archive Book Images/Flickr By Thomas Nail, University of Denver With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them.
Panic Problem: Fear of Death Matters as Coronavirus Spreads
With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them. A first-century B.C. Roman poet and philosopher, Lucretius was worried that our fear of death could lead to irrational beliefs and actions that could harm society.
Why a Roman philosopher’s views on the fear of death matter now
Lucretius Carus, Titus;Adams, John, 1735-1826, former owner. BRL;John Adams Library (Boston Public Library) BRL / No restrictions by Thomas Nail March 13, 2020 Written by Thomas Nail, The Conversation March 13, 2020 Thomas Nail, University of Denver With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others.
Why a Roman philosopher's views on the fear of death matter as coronavirus spreads
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. (THE CONVERSATION) With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them.
Why a Roman philosopher's views on the fear of death matter as coronavirus spreads
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. (THE CONVERSATION) With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them.
Why a Roman philosopher's views on the fear of death matter as coronavirus spreads
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. (THE CONVERSATION) With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them.
Why a Roman philosopher's views on the fear of death matter as coronavirus spreads
With the global spread of the new coronavirus, fears about illness and death weigh heavily on the minds of many. Such fears can often result in a disregard for the welfare of others. All over the world, for example, essential items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been sold out, with many people stockpiling them. A first-century B.C. Roman poet and philosopher, Lucretius was worried that our fear of death could lead to irrational beliefs and actions that could harm society.
The climate-migration-industrial complex
Thirty years ago there were fifteen border walls around the world. Now there are seventy walls and over one billion national and international migrants. International migrants alone may even double in the next forty years due to global warming. It is not surprising that over the past two decades, we have also seen the rise of an increasingly powerful global climate security market designed to profit from (and help sustain) these crises.
The Earth is Dying, But Not Fast Enough
Power station and mill, Camas, Washington. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. We hear all the time that we are at the tipping point of a long history of increasing energy consumption. Unfettered energy use is eating up finite fuels, increasing planetary temperatures, releasing stored methane and other emissions into the atmosphere, and raising ocean temperatures to levels that threaten the world’s fisheries.
(PDF) The Nomadic Proletariat: An Interview with Alain Badiou
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The Climate-Migration- Industrial Complex
Thirty years ago there were fifteen border walls around the world. Now there are seventy walls and over one billion national and international migrants. International migrants alone may even double in the next forty years due to global warming. It is not surprising that over the past two decades, we have also seen the rise of an increasingly powerful global climate-security market designed to profit from (and help sustain) these crises.
What is Generative Art?
Art by Gwendal Tsang We live in the age of the digital image not only because of its powerful hybridity and power to order material reality but also because of its powerful pedesis, interactivity, and power to disorder reality—to create new kinesthetic processes. The beauty of contemporary generative art lies not in its “random” number generators and the sublime affirmation of chaos against the orderliness of contemporary reality.
Deglobalization
Every sphere of life has been penetrated by capital and subjected to quantification. In this context, borders have become nothing other than the violence underlying our world’s order, a war against mobility that is filling Europe with dead bodies and migrant camps. Can we dare to imagine the abolition of borders? The escalation is undeniable. No sphere of contemporary life has been left untouched by the spread of capital. Admittedly, its penetration is uneven.
Is nature continuous or discrete? How the atomist error was born
The modern idea that nature is discrete originated in Ancient Greek atomism. Leucippus, Democritus and Epicurus all argued that nature was composed of what they called ἄτομος (átomos) or ‘indivisible individuals’. Nature was, for them, the totality of discrete atoms in motion. There was no creator god, no immortality of the soul, and nothing static (except for the immutable internal nature of the atoms themselves). Nature was atomic matter in motion and complex composition – no more, no less.
We Are Entering a New Epoch: The Century of the Migrant
Today there are more than one billion regional and international migrants, and the number continues to rise: within 40 years, it might double due to climate change. While many of these migrants might not cross a regional or international border, people change residences and jobs more often, while commuting longer and farther to work. This increase in human mobility and expulsion affects us all.
Entering the Century of The Migrant
Today there are more than one billion regional and international migrants, and the number continues to rise. Within 40 years, it might double due to climate change. While many of these migrants might not cross a regional or international border, people change residences and jobs more often, while commuting longer and farther to work. This increase in human mobility and expulsion affects us all.
An American professor of philosophy says the world is entering the century of the migrant
Today there are more than 1 billion regional and international migrants, and the number continues to rise: within 40 years, it might double due to climate change. While many of these migrants might not cross a regional or international border, people change residences and jobs more often, while commuting longer and farther to work. This increase in human mobility and expulsion affects us all.
Thomas Nail, 56 - The Journal-News: Obituaries
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sutton Memorial Home in Taylorville. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Chad Foster officiating. Burial will be in Morrisonville Cemetery in Morrisonville. Mr. Nail was born on Sept. 5, 1960, in Litchfield, the son of the late Leonard and Freida (Young) Nail. He married Myra Stephens on Oct. 6, 1989, in Taylorville, and she survives in Taylorville.
We are entering a new epoch: the century of the migrant
A refugee boat off the coast of Lesbos, Greece. Courtesy Wikipedia Today there are more than 1 billion regional and international migrants, and the number continues to rise: within 40 years, it might double due to climate change. While many of these migrants might not cross a regional or international border, people change residences and jobs more often, while commuting longer and farther to work. This increase in human mobility and expulsion affects us all.
The Hordes Are Banging on the Gates of Europe?
Thomas Nail is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Denver. Migrants being stopped at the Greek–Macedonian border near Gevgelija by the Macedonian Police, 24 August 2015. "Arbeitsbesuch Mazedonien (20270359624)" by The recent increase in movement of refugees and migrants into Europe is not the cause of the current crisis – Europe is. Migration has occurred – and will continue – for all kinds of reasons, as it has since the beginning of human societies.
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