Published on
21 July 2015
Posted in Culture, Education, Morality in Public, Music & Art
From time to time determined scientistic voices argue that the Natural Sciences alone are paths to worthwhile knowledge. Now we have the responsible government Secretary of State arguing that students who do not choose science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) subjects at A-Level are making a choice that will ‘hold them back for the rest […]
Published on
9 July 2015
Over the past three months we have seen numerous reports on migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy and moving on to the English Channel at Calais with Dover in sight – in some cases succeeding in the latter crossing, too. In virtue of the historic sequence of the two crossings, both involving […]
Published on
19 June 2015
Posted in Abortion, Civil Liberties, Culture, Education, Human Rights, IVF
For the most part having children is not about enhancing choice. It is a practical reality that calls for much forgoing of what parents might want to do – whether listening to music, going to the theatre, having a drink and a chat with friends, or just sleeping. As a result a premium has come […]
Published on
11 June 2015
Posted in Atheism, Christianity, Church of England, Culture
Nearly half the adults questioned in the most recent British Social Attitudes Survey said they had ‘no religion’, up from 31 per cent in 1983 and 43 per cent a decade ago. The figure now stands at 49 per cent. The survey, carried out every year since 1983, asked around 3,000 adults in the UK […]
Published on
24 February 2015
Posted in Christianity, Culture, Human Life, Ireland, Moral Philosophy, Social Commentary, Virtue
If God exists, says Stephen Fry, then he is an ‘utterly evil, capricious monster’. It is worth bearing in mind that, in the context of his interview for Irish television’s (RTE‘s) The Meaning of Life, Gay Byrne was not asking Fry to speculate on the concept of a Creator in the vague terms sometimes proffered by Hollywood celebrities. Byrne began, […]
Published on
8 October 2014
Posted in Culture, Music & Art
Winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2014 were announced on 2 October, National Poetry Day, at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London. The guest of honour was children’s author Julia Donaldson. All 100 winning poets attended the prize-giving ceremony. The top fifteen Foyle Young Poets of the Year will also […]
Published on
31 July 2014
Posted in British Politics, Christianity, Culture, Education, Islam, Morality in Public, Religion
As details of the Trojan Horse inquiry make their way into the mainstream press, and as it becomes apparent that there really was something very troubling going on in certain state-funded schools in Birmingham, it is to be expected that questions be asked about the place of religion in schools. But while the ‘hardline and […]
Published on
24 July 2014
As a right to die becomes the subject of yet another House of Lords debate it may be worth revisiting a matter upon which this blog has commented before here and here. The writer has recently seen a film about Virginia Woolf, and it may be of value to shape the discussion with reference to […]