In the second of my #scottspeaks with….” chats I spent some time with Ian Burgess. Ian was an ideal guest as he lives a life steeped in #cognitivediversity. A serial #entrepreneur, #futurist, #socialactivist and student of Eastern philosophy and #TaiChi Chuan Ian brings a wise and reflective perspective to any topic of conversation. I this, the fist of many, recorded…
Let’s start a line of thought with some premise: One: No individual is responsible for the feelings of others, we are accountable for our emotions, and we own them completely the good along equally with the bad. Two: If we are not aware of our emotions and in control of there impact, they will affect our judgment and world view….
During the referendum on the EU, I campaigned for Remain; I was not surprised when the result was to leave it was the most likely outcome. The aftermath divided the country; the result gave fuel to those pushing for Scottish Independence another tool in their argument which may bring some to their cause. I do believe in democracy and that…
In the friends of Voltaire hall, there is a quote which I believe expresses one of the fundamental principles of our society “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” and it is this freedom of speech and the ability to question that is the only effective defence against extremism….
We currently live in a world where the BBC showing a dramatisation of a speech by a British politician Enoch Powell and including commentary from others who have different viewpoints is meet with comments that the BBC is enabling racism and putting people at risk by airing this show. Firstly it is insulting that people believe that a documentary on…
The warning of good intentions Over the past month I have been involved in several discussions that have included the terrifying phrases: you can’t worry about that as this is the perfect solution. yes but we are good people, so that’s not a problem Now let me add a context every time I have heard these or similar statements they…
Recently the issues of freedom of beliefs have played a prominent part in conversations especially over the last few weeks both online and face to face. For the apparent simplicity is not a simple thing or something that everyone has reached agreement on.
I don’t want to focus on the standard arguments of trying to renegotiate trade agreements or the possible effect on the economy or any of the other points or hypothesis that get put forward in these referendum articles or by people. Instead, let’s look at internal concepts one of Sovereignty and the other of Tribe and how both are essential…
Over the last few months, I have been thinking about how we are individually much more responsible for events than we think and in many ways how this responsibility is not always clear to us as individuals. This process has caused me to reevaluate many of my previous decisions. It is always easier to understand things when you have an…
To be clear I am not in favour of air raids and strikes which is not the same not supporting military action as part of a wider set of activities. The thing that interest me in the current situation is that people reject something quickly and in many cases aggressively without rational debate. I like to try to stay as…
