The Decline of Virtue

It was observed by Haidt (2012) based on his moral foundations theory that the difference in perspective between liberals and conservatives is not so much in the values they espouse as in the weights they assign to them, with liberals in particular citing the embodiment of care (kindness) as the overriding moral imperative at the… Continue reading The Decline of Virtue

Beyond the Culture Wars – An Enactivist Approach

To understand the Culture Wars which characterise much of what passes for political debate in Anglophone countries these days, it is important to understand their roots in identity politics, defined as political or social activity by or on behalf of a racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, or other group, usually undertaken with the goal of… Continue reading Beyond the Culture Wars – An Enactivist Approach

‘The Re-Enchantment of the World’ as Theoretical Critique and Social Practice

Introduction ‘The re-enchantment of the world’ emerged as a concept in the 1980s in the work of Maurice Berman, in a work on the philosophy and psychology of science of that name and became adopted as a tellingly evocative motif among certain environmental writers and theologians. Ironically, until now it has not featured much within… Continue reading ‘The Re-Enchantment of the World’ as Theoretical Critique and Social Practice

Expertise versus Elitism

The life philosophy of an ancient fellow I once knew, who was in the habit of dispensing chunks of wisdom from his doorstep, could have been summarized in the following aphorism: “Everyone’s good at something, everyone has a weakness, and you’ve got to die of something”. In his case all three observations neatly converged on… Continue reading Expertise versus Elitism

Is Name Bias Discrimination Real?

In a recent essay Are We Biased in Our Attitude to Bias?, I sought to argue that the idea of bias is a subjective one and that an attempt to infer it is likely in itself to be subject to bias. Nonetheless, it continues to be regularly argued that evidence exists of bias in our… Continue reading Is Name Bias Discrimination Real?

Is It True that “There Is No Such Thing as Society”?

Dame Margaret Thatcher famously once asserted that there is no such thing as society. It has never been entirely clear what she meant by that claim. But what was made clear was that ‘society’ at the time was of the opinion that she was wrong; and that it was very angry with her for suggesting… Continue reading Is It True that “There Is No Such Thing as Society”?

The Importance of Ownership

The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property. (Karl Marx) The system of private property is the most important guarantee of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those who do not. (Friedrich August von Hayek) The right to private property… Continue reading The Importance of Ownership

Should We Celebrate “Diversity”?

Should we celebrate diversity? To ask the question in the current political climate in the Anglosphere is to answer it: to respond with anything less than an enthusiastic “Of course we should!” is to risk upsetting all the lovely people in the picture above and worse, to invite the wrath of the Cancel Culture squads… Continue reading Should We Celebrate “Diversity”?

Equity Explained, Part 3: A Return to Fairness

Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images

As outlined in part 2 of this essay, equity as part of the EDI agenda represents a thoroughly dishonest and dangerous process of institutional capture, which subverts the historical trend of the rising freedom and empowerment of individuals, but also dissolves the natural bonds of affinity and sociality between individuals in organisations by a subtle… Continue reading Equity Explained, Part 3: A Return to Fairness