If a lighthouse could think, it might marvel at how all the light in the world focused its beam on it. For us humans, it often feels the same. Since we can only see what is in our field of vision, hear what is in earshot and touch what is within reach, it is natural to feel that we are more at the centre of things than we objectively are. Whether you are in the spotlight or you are the spotlight, everything centres on you.
ReadEvery child has a right to a decent education. But does that mean every child has the right to educational success? That might sound absurd, but many teachers are concerned that this is, in effect, precisely what the current cohort of schoolchildren thinks.
ReadI’m in Lisbon listening to some live fado, the Portuguese folk music that expresses the sorrows and yearnings of ordinary people. Among these songs of love and loss is a hymn to the joys of Pastéis de Belém, the original version of the most traditional cake in Portugal, the pastel de nata, or custard tart. “Served with cinnamon or just as it is,” sings the lyricist Leonel Moura, “This beautiful delicacy has no equal in the world.”
ReadI have no reason to think that independent scholars are any less talented than ones in universities. You may indeed have valuable contributions to make. I hope, however, you can understand why, even if you do, I am justified in passing by on the opportunity of reading them.
ReadUNIVERSITY SERMON – OXFORD, 22 FEBRUARY. As an atheist, I am especially honoured to give this sermon at St Mary’s[…]
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