The World Tonight
THE WORLD TONIGHT – BBC RADIO FOUR. I was on last might’s programme talking about whether Trump is shaping or[…]
ReadTag: Politics & society
Confucian Harmony and Freedom
Harmony is as core a value in classical Chinese thought as Freedom is in the modern west and it is often thought that the two conflict, with major political implications. However, the three broadly Confucian scholars in this episode deny there is a fundamental conflict between freedom and harmony. They are Chenyang Li, Anna Sun and David B. Wong. Produced in association with the Berggruen Institute’s Philosophy and Culture Centre.
ReadWho are we? Identity politics dissected
Video of discussion at this years’s Battle of Ideas featuring me, Ivan Hewett, Sunder Katwala, Michele Moody-Adams and Brendan O’Neill, chaired by Claire Fox.
ReadTrust the people? Not completely
Western democracy is built around a tripartite trust: trust in the people to hold government to account and to set the general direction of policy, but also trust in politicians to make specific decisions, and in institutions to provide safeguards against rash or tyrannical actions. What we are seeing all over the western world are the last two pillars being torn down, leaving all trust resting on the people.
ReadSigning Off
At its worst, a pseudonym is a desperate necessity, the only means of writing as yourself. At its best, it is a freely chosen way of writing as another or extending oneself. The world-views that determine which form of pseudonym prevails are fundamentally opposed in values.
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