One of the accusations thrown at postmodern theorists and activists, such as the purveyors of identity politics is that they are advocates of relativism and deniers of facts. I am going to argue that this is actually their greatest virtue. They go downhill from there on in, as they seek to impose their own brand… Continue reading From certainty to dialogue: furthering the project of modernity
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?
The Evolution of Evolutionary Thinking
1859, the year of publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, was the year that the concept of evolution exploded into popular consciousness. It went on to foment a controversy that raged for a hundred years and still continues, in some quarters, to be considered problematic. That was because Darwin, and independently Alfred Wallace, had… Continue reading The Evolution of Evolutionary Thinking
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”?
Are We Biased in Our Attitude to Bias?
We hear a lot these days about “bias” in human judgements and the problems this creates for the realisation of a fair and just society. But how often do we stop to think what we mean by the word? And is our failure to do so not in itself a form of bias where we… Continue reading Are We Biased in Our Attitude to Bias?
Social signalling and social bonding
Recently, I was sitting very cosily in front of a log fire in a pub waiting for a friend to buy the first round at the bar. Despite it not being very busy he took quite a while to come back. In explanation he said it was because so many people are now sitting at… Continue reading Social signalling and social bonding
On Meritocracy: Is merit or good fortune the driver of success?
Merit is the idea that the most just distribution of social and economic goods falls to those who work hard for them and demonstrate required skills at an appropriately high level. The correlate of that is that the process by which individuals advance in society and are rewarded should be by them demonstrating the required… Continue reading On Meritocracy: Is merit or good fortune the driver of success?
Alice’s Honeymoon Comes to a Premature End
We pick up our story of Alice and her princely husband-to be (formerly known as the Red Knight of the Looking Glass Kingdom) on the day of their nuptials, which we left them at the end of Part 1 looking forward to and making plans for. As expected by her (now) mother-in-law the Red Queen,… Continue reading Alice’s Honeymoon Comes to a Premature End
Alice at the Palace
It had been a long journey and it seemed to Alice so long since she had first stepped through the Looking Glass into the new world that lay beyond. But here she was finally at the eighth square. She threw herself down to rest on a lawn as soft as moss, with little flower-beds dotted… Continue reading Alice at the Palace
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