Why Immanuel Kant matters
Immanuel Kant is often misunderstood — and he is partly to blame. But what he has to say is well worth thinking about
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Martians, mushy peas, leprechauns (and gin)
An awful lot of advertising is graceless and uninviting. But very occasionally an advert has the cheek to be enjoyable and funny
The complex cruelty of comedy
With comedians coming under pressure to only perform ideologically pure material, can comedy and satire survive?
Biden, Trump and the soul of a nation
Politics is much like marketing: the clearer the message, the more likely the sale. Based on the opening of the (virtually held) Democratic National Convention, the presidential campaign of the former vice
In search of ‘English Proust’
Can the Recherche be adapted and remain Proust? And should it really be seen as therapy?
Inside the Russian psyche
The UK remains surprisingly reluctant to dig deep into the patterns shaping Russia’s view of the world
Frank Ramsey: a giant among Titans
The short life of the mathematician and philosopher continues to have a profound impact
Machiavelli’s virtue politics
Modern politicians can learn from the Renaissance
Goodthink and crimethink
Linguistic revisionism leads to rapid substitution of meaning: words are deployed as weapons to shut down independent thought
Engineering the soul of China
Xi’s revolution in values and education is a tool for totalitarianism
Acts of remembrance
Commemorating those lost in the pandemic has not been possible. But we can mourn through music
Overrated: Intellect
"An intellectual is someone who looks at a pink party balloon and thinks of Jeff Koons"