Commentary
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I was saddend to learn Melvin Bragg retired from In Our Time. Whilst I understand some listener’s complaints, especially in recent years, of Bragg’s performance, I considered him essential to making the programme as legendary as it is. A show spanning decades with the same host will naturally have its ebb and flows. As with
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When it comes to what defines and shapes our relationships—what forms the fabric of the social world and its systems—ideas matter. If we want to understand why one culture embraces better philosophical ideas, or produces greater artistic achievements, or falls into greater dysfunction than another, we must examine the origins of its ideas. This is
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I find the central thesis about The Great Stagnation compelling. The thesis posits that the rate of technological progress, particularly in transformative areas that significantly enhance productivity and living standards, has slowed since the 1970s. I think there are some particularly sound empirical arguments that support this theory in view of the trends since the
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Jingle Jam 2024 has commenced! The start of two weeks of silly fun for a good cause. In our house Jingle Jam is a tradition. I look forward to 1st December every year, with the first streams officially marking the festive season. The build up to Christmas holidays would just not be the same without
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The great Richard Feynman once said (Caltech commencement address in 1974): “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool”. What Feynman is speaking to here is the tendency toward self-deceit – to think, even implicitly, that one knows absolutely, and for one to believe
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Election night in America has come and gone, and anyone surprised by the result clearly has not been paying close enough attention. It was entirely predictable, with the only real surprise being the magnitude of the Trump’s victory by popular vote. The democrat campaign was abysmal. The policies, the tone, the condescending and arrogant moral
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I have fallen so far behind in my blogging and also more generally in my writing, I have started to become annoyed. It is one of those personal things – for whatever reason, if I don’t have enough time to write – it doesn’t have to be a longform essay, but even just a short
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Over the past few months, I’ve been having some health issues. I would be dishonest if I said it wasn’t terrifying at various moments. It started in the spring when I randomly developed an innocuous, dry (unproductive) cough that eventually turned chronic. I saw my GP and we first treated the obvious: allergies (I have
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The end of term is here, and with that comes a much needed winter break. One thing that I enjoy prior to Christmas break is compiling a list of books for my holiday reading. It gets me excited for the holiday season. I also enjoy sharing books, and have grown to like the idea of
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It seems in the last decade especially narratives about climate have become increasingly saturated with a certain distinguishable hysteria, which, I would argue, is detrimental to rational discourse on what is undoubtedly an important issue of our time. It doesn’t help that popular media coverage on climate science is generally poor, if not altogether below
Dialogues at still points 