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
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? […]
Published on
22 November 2012
Posted in Christianity, Civil Liberties, Conscience, Culture, Human Rights, Liberty, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion, Social Commentary, Virtue
Religious experience is, for many sceptical or simply indifferent secularists, something unintelligible. The idea that there is a God who can become a man and forgive sins — even that there is such a thing as God or as sin — is for them unacceptable. Religious people must remember that this is no simple matter […]
Published on
29 October 2012
Posted in Culture, Freedom, Human Life, Social Commentary
In a recent lecture at Davos Julian Savulescu argued that it is not beyond the reach of modern science to create human beings with considerably greater powers of intelligence, physical strength and even moral rectitude. It was possible, he suggested, to create a ‘super-human’, a person, or kind of person, capable of transcending ordinary biological […]
Published on
1 October 2012
Posted in Christianity, Civil Liberties, Culture, Philosophy, Religion, Social Commentary
The idea that there exists today a Christendom such as existed in the pre-modern era is as fanciful as the suggestion that the followers of Mohammed have established a truly global Caliphate. Nonetheless, to cast the recent rioters against portayals of Mohammed perceived as insulting and their political leaders as only mere descendants of clannish […]
Published on
29 June 2012
Posted in British Politics, Political Economy, Social Commentary
The leader of the Labour Party recently made some remarks on the subject of immigration. He admitted, in a speech given to the Institute for Public Policy Research, that the last Labour government had made errors in regard of immigration policy. Mr. Miliband asserts that the Party must now change its tack. Addressing the concerns […]
Published on
21 June 2012
Posted in British Politics, Ethics in the Media, Social Commentary
Regular readers of a Blog for all Seasons might expect some coverage of the ongoing Leveson Inquiry. It is, after all, a matter of public interest and there are possibilities for ethical analysis. Unfortunately, it is difficult to be other than cynical in respect of the Leveson Inquiry. It was established to examine the […]
Published on
14 June 2012
Posted in British Politics, Social Commentary
The recent marking of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II has brought back to mind notions highlighted in a couple of earlier blog-posts: stability and security. It is clear from the varied crowds present at the recent London events that the British people have great affection for the institutional monarchy. The media, in print […]