Let’s just imagine that the Greek work ‘demos’ (δῆμος) means ‘the people’ and the Greek word ‘kratos’ (Κράτος) means ‘power’. You might hope that ‘democracy’ in our modern world had come to mean ‘power of the people’, or that the will of the people should prevail. If it were only that simple! The will of […]
Democracy by Paul Cartledge Read More »
There are two suspicions, which are related, about human beings which go back a long way in human thought. One is that we are composed of a myriad of miniscule particles. The other is that our psychology is really fractured, so that the unity of consciousness we normally enjoy is a temporary construct at best.
I Contain Multitudes Read More »
Any casual observer can see that Lanark, like thousands of other towns, is a shabby, moribund little backwater with rapidly deteriorating public services. At the same time, we’re treated to the sight of billionaires parading their wealth on “Eamonn & Ruth: How the other half lives” (http://www.channel5.com/show/eamonn-ruth-how-the-other-half-lives) And any trip to the smarter parts of London,
The Great Divide by Joseph Stiglitz Read More »
There are some people who can’t stand being alone. You might know one. Their self esteem so depends on the constant affirmation of others that 24 hours spent in their own company is too upsetting. They constantly busy themselves with social life, joining activities, running committees, catering for pets, having babies – anything to avoid
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing Read More »
Have you ever wondered why the rich are getting richer, and the poor poorer? Why is Lanark, like thousands of other towns, a shabby, forlorn place with rapidly deteriorating public services? The answers lie both far away and close at hand. Ultimately, it is due to the rapacious greed of the powerful, their lust for
Dark Money by Jane Mayer Read More »
A recent discussion on Radio 4’s “All in the Mind” programme concerned wisdom. Is wisdom a state of mind or a trait? The podcast is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b083p88h. A central topic in philosophy and religion, obviously, there always seem to be new ‘takes’ on what actually constitutes wisdom. It reminded me what a rich vein of reading
Becoming Wise by Krista Tippett Read More »
Dilly Court has been enriching the lives of her readers with carefully crafted novels of great power and conviction for some time. Her 24th, The Christmas Card, is available now and her devoted readership can expect many a masterpiece to follow. Court writes Dillygently every morning before rewarding herself with a custard cream and a pot
The Christmas Card Read More »
It is entirely conventional now in crime and detective fiction for the setting of the events to be as much a character as the individuals playing out the narrative. So we think of Jersey as the backdrop to the police cases of Jim Bergerac, Oxford for Inspector Morse, Edinburgh for John Rebus, Glasgow for Jim
You may enjoy this compelling hybrid of memoir, narrative and philosophy. Previously the author of academic works (Thinking Through the Imagination: Aesthetics in Human Cognition, 2014, and others), John Kaag (http://scholar.harvard.edu/jkaag/biocv) here teaches philosophy through narrative. It concerns the discovery of 10,000 books in a neglected building on the rural New Hampshire estate of William
American Philosophy by John Kaag Read More »
