Fare Well
June 23, 2015
Back in April there was a Twitter hashtag where you had to complete the sentence #Iamaphilosopherbecause. My contribution was “science cannot tell me what is a number, what is good, what is knowledge or what is causation. And I’ve kids to feed”. With that light-hearted ending, I was pretty surprised how much anger the tweet …
Making Scent
March 29, 2014
An important part of the everyday aesthetic is the sense of smell. While it often works subconsciously, it can be because of an attractive smell that we feel good. With a bad smell, it’s the opposite. Smell is evocative. It reminds us of people or experiences; conjures images of past times. A friend told me …
Apology for Narcissus
February 12, 2014
Valentine’s Day on February 14th is a supposed day of love. But then it’s not for all. Not everyone is in a relationship on that day, and not all of those in a relationship are truly in love. Nevertheless, we can make Valentine’s Day a day for everyone if we broaden it to include self-love …
Losing our Minds
January 12, 2014
A further sadness about death is the loss of mind. A mind collects memories, experiences and learning. All those skills of intellect, painstakingly acquired, all those beliefs and values, all those habits and affections. They once made a person: an entirely unique individual shaped by their experiences and education; now gone into the past. They …
Ambition
October 27, 2013
The careers service at my university has this week been encouraging us to think about the theme of ambition. I take it the hope is for our students to think about their careers after graduation but it prompted me instead to consider ambition more in the abstract and concerning artistic endeavours. In a series of …
The Political Power of the Idea
June 2, 2013
Because they can contain ideas, the tyrant will always fear the power of words and images. It may be force that ultimately topples them, but it is always an idea that motivates people to threaten such force. Ideas may be vague or mean many different things – freedom, equality, fairness, change – but if enough …
Nothing Really Matters
November 4, 2012
Anyone can see that absence figures just as much in our lives as presence. A deceased loved one causes the greatest sorrow. You see that they are no longer there, in their regular place, doing their regular things. A hole is left in someone’s life. Other absences impact on us. One might be saddened by …
The Olympic Flame
May 18, 2012
Today (18th May) sees the Olympic torch arrive in the UK, having begun its journey in Greece eight days ago. It is to be carried through 1,019 places the length and breadth of the UK before arriving in the Olympic Stadium. It was the Nazis who began this tradition for the 1936 games, harking back …
Art versus Science?
March 6, 2012
My previous post set me to thinking more about the differences between the arts and the sciences. Are they really as distinct as we seem to assume? And if they are, what is the distinction? Do we have a clear definition of each that allows us to see their separation? There is no universal agreement …
Centre for Public Understanding of the Arts
February 13, 2012
It is wonderful to see the sciences starting to flourish again. Suddenly they are on the government’s agenda and universities are expected to play a role in producing well-trained graduates in the sciences. It is not too long ago that I remember courses such as chemistry struggling to recruit. But while I am happy to …
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