Peace for all time: The enduring insights of Thomas Hobbes

Originally published on 24 September 2022. Seventeenth-century political theorist Thomas Hobbes has a paradoxical attitude to power. On the one hand, he thinks that 'the pursuit of power, after power' is the root and stem of 'Warre', of 'every man, against every man', leaving the 'life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short'. But … Continue reading Peace for all time: The enduring insights of Thomas Hobbes →

Dear World 2

I’m not confused. I’m more focused than I’ve ever been. in the night This is my path. In the past I dreamed of a reset. Now I just want to keep going. I’m glad you oppose me. I’d be worried if you didn’t. But between your oppositions I must find a middle way Proposition. Here … Continue reading Dear World 2 →

The Wish

I wish the time were different I’m way to young to die To let my words be taken From context to your lies I wish my life were different Ships a’sailing over the shimmering sea … So same-like, in the now I wish my love were constant Not hopping like the Dow I feel my … Continue reading The Wish →

Human Farm

A story introduction from 2013. Hundreds, thousands: impossible to tell - even at a vantage point like this. I remember of what goes on inside, of a little girl who was sucked into one of their sub-land vacuums and whisked away into a confined, metal room. In there a voice started interrogating her. Hendrick Andriezsoon’s … Continue reading Human Farm →

The 90s are back, kinda

The 1990s were full of crazy ideas. The ‘end of history’, the ‘clash of civilizations’, and the ‘coming anarchy’ could not all be true, right? But they were all true. We are, as another 90s prophet argued, ‘back to the future’. The 90s are back, baby. Well, kinda. Let me explain. Welcome to the 20s. … Continue reading The 90s are back, kinda →

The Playlist Episode 1 Review: The Spotify Music Network Is Not All It Seems. Is it?

Netflix has been busy. As the Crown is on the cusp of release to investigate the career of Diana Spencer, deceased ex-wife of Charles III, the new Carolingian age is anticipated by another TV series which echoes the brilliance of the 2010s series The Social Network, starring Jesse Eisenberg as the young Mark Zuckerberg, who … Continue reading The Playlist Episode 1 Review: The Spotify Music Network Is Not All It Seems. Is it? →

The foundational contradictions of liberalism

First published in May 2020. Liberalism is an ideology—a system of thought. It has a centrepiece: the individual, defined by liberalism as a free-floating unit, separate from other units. It has two basic contradictions: The politico-moral contradiction; and The public-private contradiction. Meet Immanuel Kant: A founding liberal. These contradictions arise from two factors. Liberalism: Accepts … Continue reading The foundational contradictions of liberalism →

How I predicted Liz Truss’ downfall, then changed my mind (and predicted what comes next)

I have written a lot about the rise and fall of Liz Truss in recent months. I believe my articles up to this point have essentially predicted the ongoing unfurling of events. My task now is to show how this prediction is coming to fruition. Let me begin here, in a post entitled, ‘Why Liz … Continue reading How I predicted Liz Truss’ downfall, then changed my mind (and predicted what comes next) →

The racism of antiracism: Is the University of Cambridge’s ‘Legacies of Enslavement’ Report a totalitarian subversion of history for the purposes of reproducing slavery in contemporary capitalism?

The Advisory Group on Legacies of Enslavement final report is one of the strangest things I have ever read. It opens with the call to 'eschew [...] the creation of set narratives', but proceeds to unfurl just such a narrative. The preceding sentences note: 'We know from preceding and present examples that history is too … Continue reading The racism of antiracism: Is the University of Cambridge’s ‘Legacies of Enslavement’ Report a totalitarian subversion of history for the purposes of reproducing slavery in contemporary capitalism? →

The Human Rights Act, the varieties of exploitation, and the myth of a purely private economy

Even in our enlightened society, we have a peculiarly narrow view of what torture is. Sometimes we refer to the broader view as noted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission: Article 3 of the HRA protects you from mental or physical torture, and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including the risk of facing such … Continue reading The Human Rights Act, the varieties of exploitation, and the myth of a purely private economy →