Philosophy
John Stuart Mill
Roger Kimball blames the revered advocate of ‘experiments in living’ for our inability to escape from the quagmire of moral nihilism
The Wealth Of The Wittgensteins
The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War by Alexander Waugh
Our Struggles with Chronos
Is no rebellion possible against the tyranny of time?
Study the Birds and the Bees
We have grown shy of exploring our sense of unhibited wonder at the natural world
Getting to Know the Dalai Lama
The monk who has lead Tibetans for 68 years sees the Beijing Olympics as a chance to convert the Chinese to his cause
Edward Said
Ibn Warraq indicts the Palestinian author of Orientalism for presenting the West as villains and Muslims as victims
Reconsidering the Nanny State
Both parties believe we need nannying, so let them tell us what kind
Democrats v Autocrats
The Return of History and the End of Dreams by Robert Kagan
Reclaiming the Intellectual Life for Posterity
The academic world has lost its way. We need a University of Life that teaches us how to be wiser
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal