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 …

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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: Raghuram G. Rajan, The Third Pillar (2019) – Guest Review by Share My Library

What follows is a guest review by Share My Library. All opinions belong to the author. Please visit Share My Library's website here, and follow them on Twitter here. If you are interested in contributing a guest post to my blog, please contact me using the information here. Quote of the book: “Too much market …

Review: Mariana Mazzucato, Mission Economy (2021)

Economic inequality is soaring, the climate crisis is getting worse, the pandemic has exposed a ‘digital divide’ (with many people unable to access the technology to work and learn remotely), and more. Why is it so difficult for anything to be done about this? Can the government not step in and help? Alas, argues Mariana …

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 …

Review: Padraic X. Scanlan, Slave Empire (2020)

Scholars, up until the 1930s, have seen the abolition of slavery as the major turning point in the  history of the British Empire, the keystone of British Liberalism, and the foundational contribution Britain has made to the world. This is a view that is still endorsed by politicians today. It is a view that requires …

Review: Bill Gates, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (2021)

Climate change is one of the most serious problems facing humanity at this point in time. What can we do now to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and how can we adapt to what we cannot prevent? Bill Gates presents his understanding of where we’re at with solutions, and identifies the gaps in …