A History of Ideas: Habeas Corpus
How can we protect individual freedom and ensure that Governments cannot hold people without charge?
A History of Ideas: Lex Talionis and Retribution
The Lex Talionis, or law of ‘an eye for an eye’, sounds brutal, but is it in fact a way of keeping retribution in proportion?
A History of Ideas: John Rawls On The Veil of Ignorance
What would be your blueprint for a just society? Would it simply reflect the needs of your current social position? But what if you drew up the blueprint for a society with no idea what position you might hold in it?
A History of Ideas: Henry David Thoreau On Civil Disobedience
What do you do if your society has unjust laws? Simply put up with them? Start a revolution to smash the state? Philosopher Henry David Thoreau put forward the idea of civil disobedience to change unjust laws.
A History of Ideas: Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths
Suffering is an inescapable part of life – or is it? For Buddha, following the Four Noble Truths could lead you to enlightenment. Only by recognising the causes of suffering and changing our behaviour to follow the Buddha’s path can we avoid suffering.
A History of Ideas: Ayn Rand on Selfishness
Do you have a duty to be selfish? Are altruism and self-sacrifice immoral? Does it sound like we’ve been taking ‘crazy’ pills? No. These are the thoughts of Russian/American novelist Ayn Rand.
A History of Ideas: Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic
Did the rise of capitalism really owe much of its early impetus to hard working Calvinists? That’s what Max Weber proposed.
A History of Ideas: Aristotle on ‘Flourishing'
How can we live a good life? For Aristotle ‘flourishing’ was at the core of a good life and the way to achieve this sense of satisfaction was through living virtuously.