Ancient and modern
Models of obedience: how to make people obey the law
Protests are being staged against the proposed bill to change the laws on protest. But there is a bigger issue…
The ancient Greek approach to mediation
Divorcing couples are being given vouchers worth £500 to settle their problems by mediation rather than going to court. It…
Even Ancient Rome battled culture wars
Identity politics empowers people to make all sorts of claims, not because they are true but because it makes them…
The Stoics would have had little sympathy for Meghan
Meghan Markle seems to see herself as a ‘victim’. Had she called herself a victima in Rome, it would have…
Alex Salmond and the trouble with revenge
Ancient Greeks were not slow to express their enthusiasm for taking revenge. Observing the recent proceedings in the Scottish parliament,…
Cicero knew that we should study the past, not cancel it
Modern historians, excoriating the past evils of e.g. slavery and imperialism are taking the understanding of history back to its…
The Egyptians knew the value of accidental discoveries
The government has plans to fund a new research agency to back ‘cutting-edge science’. Ptolemaios (Ptolemy) I (367-282 bc), the…
How a Roman emperor would handle Navalny
A Roman emperor would consider the tyrant Putin’s treatment of Alexei Navalny’s supporters as foolish but, looking at Russia as…
What Pliny the Elder and David Attenborough have in common
When it comes to natural history, Sir David Attenborough rules the airwaves. Pliny the Elder (d. ad 79) who, as…
How to be ‘liberal’, according to the ancients
Certain parts of academia seem to wish to turn the study of classics away from a historical, language- and evidence-based…
What would BLM make of Cicero’s views on mutuality?
The Black Lives Matter website (different from the new Black Liberation Movement) mostly presents an image of an organisation of…
The ancients were defined by actions, not attributes
Diversity is ‘about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion,…
The ancient belief in the power of words to protect us
In his 37-book Natural History, Pliny the Elder (d. ad 79) wondered why we wished people ‘Happy new year’ (primum…
The Greeks wouldn’t have accepted Cambridge’s ‘respect’ policy either
Professor Toope, the vice-chancellor of Cambridge university, had proposed a motion ordering all members of the university to ‘respect’ each…
Nick Robinson could learn a thing or two from Plato
Today presenter Nick Robinson has been reflecting on the political interview. He contrasts his interviews with scientists about Covid with…
Will we end up with a Paphlagonian Brexit deal?
Freed from the bonds of the European Union, Britain is now in a position to sign whatever trade deal it…
Modern historians take a Roman approach to history – whether they admit it or not
To what use does one put history? Romans thought it provided ‘lessons’. Modern historians rather sniff at the idea, but…
Aristotle would have seen Trump’s behaviour as entirely normal
Donald Trump may be a narcissist, but since he is not mentally ill in the technical sense, he is not…
Rome’s collegiate system was more logical than America's
So Humpty Trumpty has had his great fall. But how democratic or logical was his election in the first place…
The ancients knew the value of the natural world
The ancients knew nothing about global warming, but they still reflected on the relationship between man and nature. In the…
Can the UK avoid a Carthaginian Brexit deal?
The term ‘Carthaginian’ is often used of the EU’s attitude to post-Brexit trade negotiations with the UK, i.e. as if…
Boris Johnson needs to face down his own people
To beat the virus, the government is asking us to keep to simple hands-face-space guidelines. When these are not followed,…
Boris’s hero Pericles didn’t need a spokeswoman
A spokeswoman has been appointed ‘to communicate with the nation on behalf of the Prime Minister’. He apparently needs ‘a…
How to be content
The Covid-19 pandemic is apparently causing a large number of mental health problems. On that subject, one could do a…
The Socratic approach to Covid
Organs of the press are filled with opinion pages. The sublime confidence about Covid with which commentators advance these opinions,…
