A critique of contemporary thought I It’s impossible to start an article of this kind without the token clichés. So I’ll keep them short. We all know, as we certainly can’t avoid being told, that today mental health problems abound. I’ve heard countless sermons that cite statistics indicating as much, and doubtless my readers haveContinue reading “On Mental Health”
Category Archives: Culture
Christianity, conservatism, and the tyranny of the present
The Fourth Discourseman Our age has a uniquely modern understanding of time. How we view the world around us, how we tell our own stories, how we grapple with social and ethical issues – all these are infected with what I want to call “the tyranny of the present”, the assumption that what is modernContinue reading “Christianity, conservatism, and the tyranny of the present”
The No Man’s Land of the Culture Wars
The Second Discourseman At the Edinburgh Waverley temporary toilets, a man has the job of letting travellers know when the next cubicle is free. There is one door leading to both the Ladies’ and the Gentlemen’s, so this man must look down the queue and beckon the next man or woman as appropriate. As IContinue reading “The No Man’s Land of the Culture Wars”
Unpicking Fascism: A Response to The First Discourseman
The Second Discourseman
Wrong Rights
Okay but like – I’ll respect a conservative’s political beliefs when they respect trans people’s right to healthcare, poor people’s right to vote, asylum seeker’s right to safety, young people’s right to good mental health services and a decent standard of education, children’s right not to starve, disabled people’s right to marry without having theirContinue reading “Wrong Rights”
The Unhelpful Taboo of Fascism
The First Discourseman This isn’t meant to be clickbait, or an attempt to probe the boundaries of free speech and thought. Like most overused terms- particularly when they’re overused as an insult- definitions quickly become obscured and relegated to the side-lines, when they should be the starting point of discussion. ‘Fascist’ must be one ofContinue reading “The Unhelpful Taboo of Fascism”
The Limits of Rationality
The First Discourseman It seems every age claims enlightenment- in the eighteenth century The French Revolution considered itself the advent of a new rational era; in the early twentieth century the philosophy of logical positivism affirmed that the only type of knowledge was scientific; then at the end of the century the fall of theContinue reading “The Limits of Rationality”
How thinking mathematically might help us all argue better
The Third Discourseman ‘Trans-women are women’ – this is a statement often spouted by people wanting to fight for transgender rights. For many in our day and age, its truth is not negotiable. It’s blindingly obvious, and even an attempt to debate it is backwards and outdated. Yet some remain who might want to denyContinue reading “How thinking mathematically might help us all argue better”
Strangers to Solemnity
The Second Discourseman On the day after the death of Prince Philip, I was quietly watching coverage of the 41-gun salute taking place around the country, when my friend entered with a look of concern. “You alright?” Yes, I was fine. A short while later: “Are you sure you’re okay?” I was somewhat bemused; IContinue reading “Strangers to Solemnity”
The Unnatural Environmentalism of XR
The Second Discourseman Some time ago a friend told me of his fright when he was walking through Cambridge and turned to see gathered behind him a dozen deathly white faces, swathed in scarlet robes, chanting in the evening light. By now, such an appearance of Extinction Rebellion protestors is unlikely to elicit too muchContinue reading “The Unnatural Environmentalism of XR”
The Four Discoursemen 