Those who despair of free will only do so because they have an unrealistic idea of what it involves. They have a fantasy of a mysterious, pure, free-floating will that acts independently of nature or nurture. They think that the only kind of real responsibility is ultimate responsibility, and that unless we can choose everything from our genders to our personalities to our preferences, we cannot be responsible for what we do.
ReadWe are famously a nation of animal lovers. And yet our love for animals appears to stop at our pets’ feeding bowls. Interest in free-range meats for humans is growing, but the only animal welfare that seems to count when buying pet foods is that of the beast being fed. Scan the shelves of the pet-food aisle and you’ll struggle to see anything carrying an assurance of higher livestock welfare, such as an RSPCA Freedom Food label or organic certification.
ReadAC Grayling and John Gray are two of Britain’s best-known public philosophers, consistent and relentless in arguing for their respective world views. There, however, the similarities end. Grayling is the approachable, upbeat carrier of the Enlightenment torch, while Gray is the gloomy critic of uplifting myths of human progress and rationality.
ReadTipping challenges the sweeping generalisations of economists and anthropologists alike. To understand how and why we tip is to begin to understand just how complicated and fascinating we human beings are.
ReadSavile was famous, but not only was he a volunteer at Stoke Mandeville, more significantly, he raised £40m for it. Virtue is not only its own reward: it grants you a trust and respectability that some are only too delighted to exploit.
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