All entries by this author

Conspiracy of Cultural Invasion and Dress Code *

May 4th, 2006 | Filed by

‘Although persons who espouse these views are in the minority, their demands are regularly met.’… Read the rest



More Students Study Philosophy at A-level *

May 4th, 2006 | Filed by

Philosophy is growing in popularity when the Government is calling for vocational education.… Read the rest



Train Cars for Women: Protection or Segregation? *

May 4th, 2006 | Filed by

Rio de Janeiro joins Tokyo and Mexico City
by adding women-only cars to its trains and subways.… Read the rest



Hitchens on Juan Cole *

May 4th, 2006 | Filed by

‘A minor nuisance on the fringes of the academic Muslim apologist community.’… Read the rest



Amartya Sen and Robert Kagan Discuss *

May 4th, 2006 | Filed by

Western parochialists and Islamic extremists argue for the primacy of religious identity.… Read the rest



Iranian Philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo Arrested *

May 4th, 2006 | Filed by

He has written and edited more than a dozen books on philosophy and political science.… Read the rest



Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain

May 4th, 2006 12:39 am | By

Another one of those too-easy marks, but I can’t let it go. I never can. I’m bad that way. [voice rising to a shriek] I just can’t let anything go! It’s Giles Fraser daydreaming again.

What is fascinating about the ill-fated combination of the BNP and Christian Voice is that it demonstrates how deeply resistant Christianity is to all forms of racism. It has not always been apparent that this was the case. After all, Christianity had a hand in slavery and apartheid.

Sorry, people of Putney, but I find that hilarious. It has not always been apparent that Christianity is deeply resistant to all forms of racism. Why? Because it had a hand in slavery – meaning, for not … Read the rest



Brief, Passionate BNP-Xian Voice Liaison Ends *

May 3rd, 2006 | Filed by

Giles Fraser thinks Xianity incompatible with racism; commenters raise eyebrow.… Read the rest



New York Times on Jean-François Revel *

May 3rd, 2006 | Filed by

Philosopher, writer, journalist summoned the classical polemical weapons of Voltaire and Montaigne.… Read the rest



Le Monde on Jean-François Revel *

May 3rd, 2006 | Filed by

Philosophe, journaliste, écrivain: une figure brillante et anticonformiste de la droite intellectuelle.… Read the rest



Jean-François Revel 1924-2006 *

May 3rd, 2006 | Filed by

Without Marx or Jesus a best-seller but won almost universally hostile reviews from European critics. … Read the rest



Busted!

May 2nd, 2006 9:27 pm | By

This is very funny. At least I think so. Apparently what it is, is a blog set up by an English teacher at a small US college (or perhaps university), where students are supposed to post as part of their coursework. Actually that’s not funny; given the level of difficulty of what they’re doing and the fact that this is a college or even a university, it’s bottomlessly depressing; given the fact that some of them are seniors and juniors, it’s – oh never mind. Anyway, their first assignment was to post urls of five misleading websites and explain why they are misleading. Well (you’ll have realized where I’m going with this) – guess who made the cut! I’m … Read the rest



Thought Experiments *

May 2nd, 2006 | Filed by

So there’s this big violinist stuck in a cave…… Read the rest



Irshad Manji Ponders Ahmadinejad *

May 2nd, 2006 | Filed by

To the fringe of true believers, doomsday politics makes complete sense. … Read the rest



Todd Gitlin on the Academic Left *

May 2nd, 2006 | Filed by

Question of how theory X diverges from theory Y takes precedence over question of X’s or Y’s truth value or lack of it.… Read the rest



HERO Talks to Benson and Stangroom *

May 2nd, 2006 | Filed by

Both talk a lot of nonsense.… Read the rest



Alexandra Simonon Says Walter is Wrong *

May 2nd, 2006 | Filed by

Opposing cultural relativism as Euston group does is a strong commitment to women’s rights everywhere. … Read the rest



Natasha Walter Frets at Maleness of Euston *

May 2nd, 2006 | Filed by

So unlike the gender parity everywhere else.… Read the rest



The Royal George

May 2nd, 2006 1:42 am | By

Okay, what does Bush mean by it?

President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution…Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush’s assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government. The Constitution is clear in assigning to Congress the power to write the laws and to the president a duty ”to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Bush, however, has repeatedly declared that he

Read the rest


Cakes are Rich, but People Are…Prosperous *

May 1st, 2006 | Filed by

Rich people don’t like to call themselves rich.… Read the rest