Three views on privacy in the digital age, part 1: the value of the self
Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage’s whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the…
Philosophy
Has the postmodern revolution gone full circle?
While discussions about the philosophical foundations of judgements of right and wrong are often framed in terms of rational versus irrational perspectives, viz. those based…
The Just Society: Equality or Freedom?
In A Theory of Justice John Rawls conducted a famous thought experiment. He asked, if we were to imagine, behind a ‘veil of ignorance’, being…
Respect, rights and freedoms in an era of identity activism
The British actor Ben Kingsley, probably most famous for his eponymous role in the film Ghandi, has, since being knighted in the 2001 honours list,…
The Unintended Consequences of Law
It is a fact little known that the origins of the title of John Steinbeck’s famous novel “Of Mice and Men” was an ode “To…
Legality and Morality: Can Man Serve Two Masters?
It is often suggested that obedience to the law is a virtue and by implication that respect for the law is a requirement of morality….
Jazz Hands Mired in Controversy
Reports are surfacing of a new controversy over the banning of applause at NUS conferences produced by the agency of human hands. The ban was…
Is It Inhumane to Oppose Freedom of Movement?
The idea of freedom of movement is often in the news these days, whether in relation to Britain’s seeking control over immigration from the EU…
Values and Identity
We hear much about “values” and “identity” in discussions in the media these days. Often the debate about values is specifically around so-called “British values”;…
The Limits of Tolerance
Attacks like the one we saw in the heart of London last week always set in motion a series of political spasms on the right…