In its own highly individual way the pangolin, or scaly anteater, is a rather beautiful creature. It is also the…
Jihadi Thoughts
Western commentators on things Islamic have a tendency to proceed by analogy, relating almost everything to supposedly comparable events or…
On Attention
In 1942 the philosopher Simone Weil wrote– Attention consists of suspending our thought, leaving it detached, empty and ready to…
A Surplice Tao
With music and dainties we may detain the passing guest. But if we open our mouths to speak of Tao…
Citizens of Nowhere
In my post ‘Citizens of Somewhere‘ I wrote about the relationship between war, citizenship and national myths. Various objections could,…
Citizens of Somewhere
At the height of his powers Pericles, the supreme statesman of classical Greece, persuaded Athens to adopt a new citizenship…
Does Progress Trump Democracy?
There is, I think, among political and intellectual ruling circles of the West a widespread but rarely enunciated belief. It…
