Published on
7 February 2014
Posted in Ethics in Business, Public Policy
This week Londoners are divided: some know they need to work, and others feel they must strike. Due to the interconnectedness of occupations this engenders bitterness. If the strikers were retail staff or lawyers or civil servants, life for the rest of us would be largely unaffected, but since they are Tube staff others are […]
Published on
22 November 2013
Posted in Culture, Ethics in Business, Human Rights, Public Policy, Social Commentary
By Dr. Matthew Knight & Robert Stephenson-Padron We are in an age of ‘crises’ – a glance through newspapers over the last few weeks produces recognition of no fewer than seven varied crises currently in play: economic; humanitarian; demographic; moral; and those concerning refugees, care generally, and healthcare… In some respects the greatest challenge […]
Published on
1 July 2013
In order to maintain public order secularism in our time relies on well- established delineation of ‘public’ and ‘private’ realms. While attempting to play down divisions between social groups, secularism reinforces a distinction between public conduct and private life. In this way a moderate secularism can reduce public conflict by emphasising those aspects of public […]
Published on
10 June 2013
Posted in Civil Liberties, Conscience, Culture, Legal Affairs, Liberty, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Public Policy, Religion
News that the United States government ordered the largest US communications company Verizon to hand over details of communications of all of its customers on a daily basis is as regrettable as it is shocking. That is to say, insofar as it is regrettable it is also shocking but it is not a complete surprise. […]
Published on
10 April 2013
The strongest in society have a duty to support the weakest. As with any duty it is better that it be fulfilled voluntarily. In this instance this is by far the better course because such a duty frequently concerns the disposal of private property. But this duty is rarely fulfilled to the satisfaction of social […]
Published on
20 March 2013
Posted in Civil Liberties, Ethics in the Media, Freedom, Liberty, Public Policy
The Royal Charter being set up in the wake of the Leveson Report marks an end to a period of 300 years in which government did not regulate the press. It is unprecedented in this country’s democratic history and should therefore be approached with great care. One does not have to look far to find […]
Published on
4 February 2013
As MPs enter the House of Commons this week the press is flush with arguments for and against the proposed new legislation on ‘same-sex marriage’. There has been much talk of whether or not there is public support for this Bill. But, in spite of multiple surveys and polls commissioned across the political, social and […]
Published on
19 December 2012
In a three-part lecture series at St Peter’s College, Oxford, Mark Thompson, former Director-General of the BBC has addressed public understanding of, and engagement with, political and other public issues. These lectures naturally touched on questions of political and journalistic integrity, public authority and recent developments in media technology. 1) Is Plato winning the argument? […]