Category Archives: From the Archives

Humanity’s Drug Addiction…

Posted on November 19, 2015 by bsixsmith

An old piece, made relevant by today’s news about the spread of antibiotic resistance. One of the great tragedies of our age is man’s insistence on blundering into avoidable fiascos. Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, has been … Continue reading →

Posted in From the Archives, Health, Science | Leave a comment

Hulme and Anti-Humanism…

Posted on July 31, 2015 by bsixsmith

He was sent down from Cambridge for his part in a brawl. He hung Wyndham Lewis from the railings of Great Ormond Street. He was described by the sculptor Jacob Epstein as being “capable of kicking a theory as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciations, Conservatism, From the Archives | Leave a comment

Oakeshott and Scepticism…

Posted on July 31, 2015 by bsixsmith

A symptom and a cause of the decline of British conservatism has been the absence of philosophical voices. That the publication of Michael Oakeshott’s notebooks occasioned interest, then, is welcome; if only as it might inspire more interesting conversations. Oakeshott … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciations, Conservatism, From the Archives | Leave a comment

Captive Minds…

Posted on July 24, 2015 by bsixsmith

How do intelligent men learn to love stupidity? How do artists come to appreciate barbarism? These questions troubled Czesław Miłosz as he wrote The Captive Mind. A Polish poet, in exile for his dissident stance, he wanted to explore the … Continue reading →

Posted in Belief, From the Archives, Ideology, Reviews | Leave a comment

Nightmares of an Eminent Person…

Posted on July 1, 2015 by bsixsmith

Ray Monk’s biography of Bertrand Russell’s later life, The Ghosts of Madness, is among the most depressing books that I have ever read. For readers who think of Russell as the twinkly grandfather of liberal humanism it will come as … Continue reading →

Posted in Behaviour, Belief, Family, From the Archives, Rationalism, Reviews | 1 Comment