Hierarchy and Equality in America
In a culture that values equality, what is the role and function of hierarchy in America today? With Kwame Anthony Appiah,[…]
ReadTag: Politics & society
Review: The Age of Genius
The main weakness of the book is that its impressive erudition is not sufficiently ordered, filtered and edited to make it serve the central argument. In his enthusiasm to gather and share his evidence, Grayling has neglected to turn it into a convincing case.
ReadWhy we want underdogs to have their day
In zero-sum games such as sport, for one to rise, another must fall. But if our love of the underdog is not to turn poisonous, we should try always to focus more on our delight for the victor rather than gloating over the one who has been toppled.
ReadHow words shape our world
There is gold in these pages but the reader has to work hard to mine it and cast it into something useful. Taylor deserves his reputation as a thinker of unparalleled breadth and depth, but in this book his vision has turned too inward and backward. It is as though he has become too transfixed by his insight that we are the products of our cultures and history and so has become trapped in his own.
ReadSelf and the Meaning of Life
In recent years many have expressed a concern that Western individualism has created a society of atomised, isolated selves. At the same time, the values of personal choice and autonomy remain sacrosanct. Individualism is thus seen as both the great achievement and bane of Western civilisation.
Read