The Sleepwalk of the West

It has been suggested to me that my writings express a certain lack of tolerance. This is, of course, entirely true. Why rail against something, unless you find it intolerable? Despite agreeing with such critics, I suspect we nonetheless have a different idea of what “tolerance” means, or how it comes about. Because a motive [...]

Socrates said that he would not have survived in public office, that anyone true to their morals would reach conflict there, and that there is no politician who is not morally compromised. They put him on trial for his impious observations. Then they put him to death. Even if you disagree with Geert Wilders‘ morals, [...]

The news these last few days seems to belong to our religious leaders and their wrestle for our souls. The Pope was dramatically thrown to the ground, but immediately bounced back. Muscling in on a defenceless position, the mighty Roman made a quick lunge for all those displaced by “hunger, intolerance or environmental degradation”. The [...]

When national will (especially a Swiss “legitimacy-rich” democratic one) clashes with trans-national will (especially a European “legitimacy-poor” undemocratic one), who should win? The answer seems transparently obvious; but the European project has never been too interested in transparency. (Witness the recent magical apparition of a new EU constitution and President. Or maybe I just mislaid [...]

Coventry Cathedral is one of those rare examples of successful Modernism, whose appeal transcends architectural fashion. Like another successful example – the Barbican Estate – it rose from the devastation of the German Luftwaffe, and now overlooks its previous incarnation, a crumbling, unrestored symbol of 20th Century cataclysm. As a result of this traumatic history, [...]

Leaders from Baha’ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism and Sikhism gathered at Windsor Castle this week to save the planet. Most pressingly: When people from nine faiths with special dietary requirements visit for a banquet, what should be on the menu? That is the dilemma facing the Royal Family as Windsor Castle hosts [...]

Witness – the autobiography of Whittaker Chambers’ – is the dramatic story of a Dostoevskian “lesser man” seeking redemption through suffering and rigorous moral integrity. It is a verbose but remarkable book, centering on his personal pendulum-swing from a tortured, austere, and passionately felt Communism – towards an equally tortured, austere, and passionately felt Christianity. [...]

An FT article on Islam in France argues that a demographic “Eurabia” outcome is unlikely. I agree. However, the article is very optimistic about the piety of the average French Muslim, as well as the societal impact of multi-faith “mélange” (mix). On the first point, it seems to think that the 15 to 20 percent [...]

The Law exists to send a clear message. Crime is Crime. And yet, there will always be people who simply have to break the rules. The Public Order Act should have made it quite clear to us all that “interfaith dialogue” is a no-no. But the Vogelenzangs – a couple who run a Liverpool hotel [...]

Definitions of race range from those who say it does not exist – that it’s purely a social construct – to those who insist it has a biological warrant. All sorts of semantic problems arise, let alone political ones: if there is no such thing as race, what does “diversity” mean? If on the other [...]

The Al Fath Mosque on Rue des Poissonniers in Paris receives thousands for Friday prayer, way beyond its capacity. The surrounding streets are entirely given over to worshippers. Around the corner is the vast church of St Bernard de la Chapelle, whose doors appear to be permanently padlocked. Amongst local proposals is that of converting [...]

The Independent reports that Government advisers have said religious slaughter techniques practised by Jews and Muslims are cruel and should be ended. (They’re referring to animals, BTW.) How about this for an oxymoron: [Religious groups] are granted an exemption to the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995. So much for the meek inheriting [...]

The Enlightenment broke the shackles of arbitrary theocratic rule, so that reason might be liberated and, hopefully, lead to a universal flourishing of the good life. Speech – the expression of philosophic thought – had to be set free. The intention was high, noble. At any rate, it wasn’t a prescription of respect for every [...]

Dutch society was once very segregated. Guess, until when, the following was the case: … each of the four “pillars” had its own mini-society within the greather whole of Dutch society. Protestant people voted for a Protestant party, read Protestant newspapers, watched the Protestant broadcasts … Mixed marriages were frowned upon, and Catholic bishops and [...]

The separation of church and state sounds good to me. So does the end of all suffering, war, inequality … etcetera. Oh well. Back in reality, I’m not so optimistic. Unlike some of the atheist authors – whom otherwise I generally agree with – I don’t think a world without politically-impacting religion is worth talking [...]

Race is not a choice, let alone one that requires a defensible moral rationale. Religion, on the other hand, is exactly that. The opportunity to overlook this distinction is taken up, enthusiastically, whenever a criticism of religious ideology is dubbed as racism. Further obscurantism is supplied by the prevailing confusion over what race is, or [...]

Back from Morocco. Enjoyed every minute. Except … every repetition of the Islamic call to prayer. There was the sensation of a pervasive Orwellian machine, relentless propaganda blared into the minds of the people. The most effective (i.e. sustainable) tyranny is not imposed by violence, but by the perception that nothing exists outside the tyranny. [...]