A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of democracy. It’s odd to think that back when today’s students were still in nappies an American president could say that “There was a time when many said that the cultures of Japan and Germany were incapable of sustaining democratic values. Well, they were wrong. Some say […]
Everything is Awesome. The catchphrase to the Lego Movie might as well be the title for Steven Pinker’s engrossing new book, Enlightenment Now, a Whiggish argument for why things just get better and better and better. While there is much critical disagreement about Pinker’s definition of “Enlightenment”, his running thread that life has vastly improved […]
In 1278 the King of England came up with a new plan to raise money and land, as leaders are fond of doing. Certain that historic privileges had been usurped by uppity subjects, King Edward sent royal officers around to prominent individuals demanding by what legal right – quo warranto – they held their honours. However when […]
