I want to examine the key issue of how to establish a balance of diversity and unity. Too much diversity, and society will fragment; too much unity and we have a closed society. How do we find the balance? Is it too much to suggest that it is possible to […]
Tag: ideologies
‘National Character’: Reality or nonsense?
In a western world premised on a culture of denial of differences, is a concept of ‘national character’ meaningful? Or a basis for harmful stereotyping? Can we learn anything constructive about differences, if, indeed, they exist? . Nigel Pocock . Studies of neurogenesis and synaptogenesis (the life-long generation of new […]
Integration and the limits of tolerance
Clearly the issue of multiculturalism is ultimately about social change. This is together with the capacity to live in a ‘tolerant’ way with other groups that hold diametrically opposing beliefs. . Nigel Pocock . But what if these groups believe in tyranny, whether of theocracy, materialism, secularism or of any […]
Do deterministic ideologies necessarily result in oppression?
While it may not always be the case that deterministic ideologies, and groups committed to such ideologies, are oppressive, many do seem to be. Control and power feature strongly in their practice and in their underlying ideology. Nigel Pocock Coupled to such determinism is eschatology, a vision of […]
Schools in the United States of America: Stages for murderers
40% of American homes have firearms. The lack of adequate legislation and control of them may be the main reason why some of the largest massacres in the world happen in schools across the country. Benjamin Serra The end of 2012 offered a news story that covered the front covers […]