James Mill on how the Few Oppress the Many

In an 1835 article entitled 'State of the Nation' for the London Review, the Scottish radical James Mill considered the progress of reform in Britain, and how society might be further improved. One of his objects was to illustrate how the ruling Few, throughout history, erected barriers to any reforms that might promote the interests … Continue reading James Mill on how the Few Oppress the Many →

A Letter to The Observer

I have often regretted the lack of serious thought in our public discussion. Armies of commentators, apparently remunerated for their qualities as argumentative writers and conversers, are scarcely ever seen to produce coherent reasonings, or to attend to the most obvious objections to their views. Here I will examine, as but one specimen of this … Continue reading A Letter to The Observer →

Jeremy Bentham answers Jordan Peterson

In his exceptionally popular book, Twelve Rules for Life (2018), the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson advised his readers to "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world." This conservative maxim, or fallacy, was answered by the great English radical, Jeremy Bentham, two hundred years ago: "Nearly akin to the cry of popular … Continue reading Jeremy Bentham answers Jordan Peterson →

James Mill on Liberty of the Press

One of James Mill's contributions to the Encyclopaedia Britannica was an article on the liberty of the press. Mill sought to mark out legitimate grounds to punish speech while defending broad freedom of discussion as an indispensable security against oppression and the surest method for discovering the truth. In summary, Mill thought that libel against … Continue reading James Mill on Liberty of the Press →

Bentham on Democracy and Reform

Jeremy Bentham is well known today as a moral philosopher; but his political thought, and the thought of those British radicals who considered him a teacher and inspiration, has been largely forgotten. This I consider to be unfortunate, not only because Benthamite radicalism is an enviable model of logic and clarity compared to other political … Continue reading Bentham on Democracy and Reform →

Are the Palestine protests hate marches?

It has been claimed repeatedly, not just in the press, but by holders of the most distinguished offices of state, that the pro-Palestine protests we have seen in recent weeks are, in fact, hate marches. Some say that the Palestine solidarity movement is a hate movement. When we enquire into the evidence on which these … Continue reading Are the Palestine protests hate marches? →

Charles James Fox answers the British government

The gang of idiot ministers who form the current government, and the braying donkeys in the media who support them, are now working to destroy the hard won liberties of the British people. There are calls to ban the pro-Palestine march on Saturday 11 November; there are plans being drawn up to further restrict liberty … Continue reading Charles James Fox answers the British government →

Stop the bombing! Lift the blockade! End apartheid!

The two million people of Gaza, half of them children, have been besieged for nearly two decades. They live in a prison camp, under a crippling economic blockade, and have been periodically massacred by Israeli forces. We have now seen a massive intensification of Israel's violence; this is the most devastating attack on Palestinians in … Continue reading Stop the bombing! Lift the blockade! End apartheid! →

The Radical Appreciation of Thomas Hobbes

In 1839, the English radical Sir William Molesworth1 had all the works of Thomas Hobbes reprinted and published at considerable cost. George Grote, another radical, published a notice of the new edition in the Spectator that same year. The notice is a good summary of what these radicals, who were passionate democrats, considered to be … Continue reading The Radical Appreciation of Thomas Hobbes →

The IHRA definition is still a threat to academic freedom

Two years ago I wrote an article where I warned the IHRA definition of antisemitism would be used to restrict academic freedom. I therefore urged universities to drop it: https://web.archive.org/web/20210512141702/https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/why-we-should-drop-the-ihra-definition-of-antisemitism/ The article, quite predictably, outraged many people. But though stupidity and prejudice might triumph in the short term, truth and reason triumph in the end. … Continue reading The IHRA definition is still a threat to academic freedom →