The second half of the 20th century was surprisingly free of global conflicts, as opposed to its turbulent first half, forming a so-called Long Peace. Historians vigorously debate the reasons for such a serendipitous period, and are still undecided, due to the epoch’s continuation. Prominent theories include the emergence of…

Why do soldiers fight? It is a complicated question to ask, both in substance and utterance, as to why some men risk life and limb to hurt others, doing things impermissible in almost every other context. The answer is multifarious: not least because military service is awarded, and with the…

A common theme throughout humanity’s existence is the nature of progress and how it manifests. This is doubtless visible in science and technology, moderate in institutional matters and may even perhaps extend to ethics. Interdisciplinary questions arise over the lifeblood of this moment, and the way this progress is gained…

Thought experiments are a recent innovation in academia, and are inherently torn between demands for logical rigour and a necessary for potent images. An even more surprising aspect is their genuine ability to drive scientific progress: an example is Einstein’s work on relativity through his theorising with trains. The reason…

It is facile to say that an artform, or indeed any practice, has a single purpose. It is however more reasonable to say that we engage in practices with an overarching motive in mind. For instance, I argue that literature is primarily a means of studying the principles of human…

Over the past eight weeks, my articles have prompted much in the way of self-reflection, and I have pondered the underlying themes of that which I have written. One of these persistent, but disguised, features has been the notion of an ideal society. I may have been arguing for this…

And did the Countenance Divine, Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills? - William Blake Fears about the climate are neither new nor urgent, as many climate activists look to state today. As the quotation above shows, even in the late…

The Royal Family is a near permanent feature in the British press, but scarcely for political reasons. This time is an exception, as Barbados will become a republic by the end of this month, with the current Governor General (Dame Sandra Mason) set to become the country’s first President. The…

Being an academically inclined individual, one of the enduring memories of early adolescence I have is the learning of various languages at school. Something that struck me, early on, though unable to articulate it yet, was the wide difference in vocabulary learned. This was most noticeable between modern and classical…