What is Evidence?
WELLCOME COLLECTION – LONDON, 12 MARCH. What counts as ‘evidence’ in a courtroom? Join us for a conversation on how objects, witnesses and science fit into the legal process. Full details here. (NB Fully Booked)
ReadAuthor: Julian Baggini
Jimmy Savile’s halo let him get away with it
Savile was famous, but not only was he a volunteer at Stoke Mandeville, more significantly, he raised £40m for it. Virtue is not only its own reward: it grants you a trust and respectability that some are only too delighted to exploit.
ReadAre you selfish?
Seeing others act selflessly makes us feel guilty about our own failures to be as virtuous. It’s far easier to dismiss the apparent selflessness of others than it is to challenge our own very real selfishness.
ReadWhy all writers are vain
Vanity may be unavoidable but it does not mean we must allow it to be our master. By recognising our vanity, we can try to keep it as much at bay as possible and so keep pride in check. If we cannot see the vanity in what we’re doing or deny there is any, we are more likely to fall under its spell. The ultimate vanity is to believe you have none.
ReadWhy are foodies turning their backs on Fairtrade?
Workshop is one of a number of high-end food companies that says it is committed to fair trade, but doesn’t have the certificate to prove it. With the Fairtrade logo now appearing even on mainstream brands such as Starbucks coffees and four-finger Kit Kats, this absence is becoming more and more conspicuous, especially during Fairtrade fortnight, which starts this week. But for a variety of reasons, many speciality providers, which invariably boast about their impeccable sourcing policies, are choosing not to sign up to the Fairtrade labelling scheme.
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