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'As Heidegger also pointed out in his analysis of our technological culture, the tool invites us to enter into an instrumental relationship with the world, one that reveals objects as standing reserves for human intentions. That is all well and good as long as it doesn't lead to an absolutist understanding of the world.'

'In [Hannah] Arendt's sense, thinking includes conscience, in the form of attention and thoughtfulness towards other people. This was an attribute sorely lacking in [Adolf] Eichmann, who had turned himself into an unthinking cog in a machine, obeying orders. You can, of course, have a high IQ without thinking very much in Arendt's sense of the word – and vice versa.'

'...it's all well and good to 'realize yourself' as a unique individual, but not at the expense of the universal human values and obligations from which ethics originate. To put it bluntly, it is fine to be yourself, but not if that means you're a bad person.'

'It is no longer good enough to do something well. Everything must constantly be better – or indeed 'even better'. This is where my defense of thoughtfulness may be relevant to the discussion of depression. It is no coincidence that the sales slogan for the antidepressant 'happy pill' Paxil was 'Do more, feel better, live longer'. And think less?'

'Thinking that generates meaning is about everything we don't know – but it often takes a great deal of knowledge to understand how little we actually know. It takes courage to stand by the idea that there's something we don't know, and it takes curiosity to want to learn more.'

'...the more technology simplifies things and improves efficiency, the more difficult it is to think because thinking depends on the ability not to react in a knee-jerk manner, to postpone decisions, consult other people, to listen to their experiences and arguments and consider the matter properly.

'When watching The X-Factor and munching popcorn, you experience the taste of the popcorn and the sound of the songs, but it is only once you become aware that you are experiencing these things that you can be said to be starting to think. There may then be a risk of you wondering whether this is a worthwhile use of your time – and that may not be a pleasant experience.'