Category Archives: Virtue

Published on
10 July 2013

Political Parties, Manifestos and Governmental Accountability

Posted in British Politics, Education, Moral Philosophy, Morality in Public, Virtue

As Labour’s poll ratings plummet following the Unite scandal we have a suitable occasion to ask how some integrity may be injected back into politics. After David Cameron’s evisceration of his own party’s grass-roots there is perhaps an element of balance in watching poor Ed do much the same to Labour’s political base though none […]

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Published on
1 July 2013

PRISM and the Long View of Modern Secularism

Posted in Civil Liberties, Conscience, Culture, Human Rights, Legal Affairs, Liberty, Moral Philosophy, Public Policy, Religion, Social Commentary, Virtue

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 […]

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Published on
22 November 2012

Religion, Secular Politics and Intelligible Values

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 […]

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Published on
26 April 2012

Colonialism and the Rich: Demonstrations of Bigotry and Virtue

Posted in Culture, Social Commentary, Virtue, World Affairs

Let us consider today matters that have received much press coverage recently, coverage manifesting a dearth of virtue among senior figures in media and government. While politicians are universally acknowledged to be only human, those with positions of great influence should be expected to act virtuously and to set an example to ordinary individuals.   […]

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Published on
14 March 2012

John Maynard Keynes and the Big Society

Posted in Big Society, Ethics in Business, Political Economy, Public Policy, Virtue

Following the financial crash of 2008 the economic ideas of John Meynard Keynes experienced a revival. Some argue that the recent policies of both the British and American governments are Keynesian. The British Prime Minister at the height of the crisis, Gordon Brown, actually referenced Keynes in announcing a fiscal stimulus. Keynes is well-known for […]

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Published on
24 February 2012

Sex-Selective Abortion: The Failed Autonomy of Modern Man

Posted in Abortion, British Politics, Civil Liberties, Conscience, Human Life, Human Rights, Moral Philosophy, Social Commentary, Virtue

From a guest blogger: The news that some private abortion clinics in Britain may be carrying out here the sex-selective abortions which are horrifyingly common in parts of Asia is no real surprise to us at Blog for All Seasons. In today’s society each person is seen as an autonomous individual who cannot make authoritative […]

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Published on
3 February 2012

Democracy, Morality and the Common Good

Posted in Big Society, British Politics, Christianity, Civil Liberties, Conscience, Culture, Human Rights, Liberty, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion, Virtue

From a guest blogger: A position commonly held by ‘reformers’ in various religious traditions in this country may be summarised roughly in the following lines: If the central authority of a religion is at odds with beliefs held by the majority of that its adherents, the former is duty-bound to reconsider and even to change […]

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