Read with me: The Social Contract, Part III

Welcome to Part III of my Read Along of Jean-Jacque Rousseau's The Social Contract, published in 1762. It is perhaps one of Rousseau's most memorable and influential works, and contributed significantly to the philosophy of the social contract — that is, the idea that, in a society, people consent to give up some freedoms for …

Read with me: The Social Contract, Part II

Welcome to Part II of my Read Along of Jean-Jacque Rousseau's The Social Contract, published in 1762. It is perhaps one of Rousseau's most memorable and influential works, and contributed significantly to the philosophy of the social contract — that is, the idea that, in a society, people consent to give up some freedoms for …

Read with me: The Social Contract, Part I

In this Read With Me series, we’ll be having a close look at The Social Contract, written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and published in 1762. It is perhaps one of his most memorable and influential works, and contributed significantly to the philosophy of the social contract — that is, the idea that, in a society, people …

So You Want to Become a Pirate…

It’s easy to understand. The life of piracy has not lost its appeal. Perhaps you have in mind becoming something dashing like Errol Flynn in his depiction of Captain Blood? Or perhaps the erratic and mischievous Jack Sparrow? — sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow! Maybe you’re more inspired by the famous, popular figure of Long John …

Review: Tim Harford, How to Make the World Add Up (2020)

The world can be a confusing place. We’re constantly bombarded with facts and figures, infographics and images. They appear to us in the news, in magazines, and on social media. This is all supposed to inform us — the authors are certainly trying to persuade us of something. Yet a lot of this information is …