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politics

Forgiveness: A Consoling and Troubling Virtue

Forgiveness: A Consoling and Troubling Virtue

Posted on 30 July 2018 by

On the evening of April 22nd 1993 Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially motivated attack. The nineteen year old had been waiting for a bus in Eltham, South East […]

The Heart of Justice

The Heart of Justice

Posted on 4 June 2018 by

The ancient Greeks all thought of morality in terms of the virtues: justice, courage, temperance, and wisdom. And they all thought of the virtues as if they are like skills […]

TRUST and Trump: investigating sincerity and accuracy in discourse

TRUST and Trump: investigating sincerity and accuracy in discourse

Posted on 9 April 2018 by

When exploring discursive untruthfulness, modern American politics is an obvious example. Donald Trump’s presidency has been continuously criticised for his use of falsity, with the aim of promoting his own […]

Explaining the puzzle of national shame

Explaining the puzzle of national shame

Posted on 26 February 2018 by

In the aftermath of the EU Referendum, I encountered many people who said to me, “I am ashamed to be British”, or, when confronted with the fallout of the referendum […]

How Closed-Mindedness Obstructs Effective Inquiry

How Closed-Mindedness Obstructs Effective Inquiry

Posted on 18 December 2017 by

In his recent book Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein, John Nixon describes his encounters with the two main protagonists of the 2003 Iraq war. Nixon, a senior […]

What is Closed-Mindedness?

What is Closed-Mindedness?

Posted on 20 November 2017 by

On March 7 2017, Jason Chaffetz who was then a member of the US House of Representatives (R-Utah) told a CNN anchor: “Americans have choices….rather than getting that new iPhone…they should […]

Hubris as Prime Ministerial Vice

Hubris as Prime Ministerial Vice

Posted on 31 July 2017 by

When Theresa May’s snap election backfired decimating her majority, many commentators were quick to use a language of vices to describe her errors. ‘May’s astounding arrogance has now paved the […]

Rallying the troops versus quieting the indignation

Rallying the troops versus quieting the indignation

Posted on 3 July 2017 by

A new National Rifle Association (NRA) video advertisement in the United States sparked controversy this week. Critics indicated that the emotive ad barely falls short of calling for violent action […]

Reducing arrogance in debate

Reducing arrogance in debate

Posted on 19 May 2017 by

In many Western democracies, public opinion seems to have become bitterly divided over increasingly divisive topics like immigration, Brexit, and the qualities of Donald J. Trump. People whose convictions are […]

We are now open for debate

We are now open for debate

Posted on 18 May 2017 by

Welcome to 'Open for Debate', a blog associated with the project Changing Attitudes in Public Discourse. We hope to use this space to debate all aspects and forms of debate. Ultimately, […]