A light went out in Russia

The death of Russian dissident and opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison is a tragedy for Russia and hopes for a more peaceful and democratic world.

Confessions – Maeve

We all live our lives, grow old and die – or do we? Perhaps, like “The Man From Earth” there are a special few who never age and live through history in the most special and ordinary ways.

Mark Nicol’s Counterpoint – The new intellectual pedigree – The school of the fourth age

Dropping any pretence of academic rigour, social science has been turned into a tool of social progressives, and a new philosophy exploring man’s place in nature is required.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Human history versus human cultural evolution

Western academies of social scientists have comprehensively failed to produce rational accounts of moral or philosophical perspective in response to the ecological crisis facing the world today.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Social science is dead

Academics, judges and the press should concentrate on evidence based investigation, impartial adjudication and the independent reporting of facts, rather than indulge in partisan political campaigning.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – What if versus what Is

The Western liberal tradition, and current progressive movements, are proving inadequate in the face of the existential environmental threat to the human species.

Confessions – Whilst my guitar gently weeps

An enduring love of music has offered consolation to many people through life’s travails, with the power to summon memories as well as offer hope for the future.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – What matters and what matters not

Important as they are, society’s vexed debates about social and justice issues shouldn’t blind us to the wider questions, including the future of life on this increasingly polluted and over-populated planet.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Alexei Navalny – The fight for humanity

Protests against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny are growing in Russia, but the movement for democracy needs the support of both Russians and the West to face down the brutal dictatorship of Vladimir Putin.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – The law unto itself

The law should protect the weak from the strong, but all too often the opposite is the case, benefitting those who practice the law rather than those it should protect. If we truly believe in justice, it’s time for a radical overhaul.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Indulgence, injustice, and the book of fine scrapes

The New Year can be a time to remember the past as well as look forward to the future, and Open Forum regular Mark Nicol reflects on a boy’s night out before the age of masks and social distancing.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Gen-2D

People’s dependence on their mobile phones, and society’s reliance on integrated information systems, has not only eroded individual self-reliance but left the free world vulnerable to virtual attack from its enemies.