Category Archives: philosophy

The temptation of celebrity power: the Police and Jimmy Savile

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

The temptation of celebrity affects us all. In this regard, the police are not alone. Like many others, the police succumbed to the temptation of Jimmy Savile’s celebrity status.  They wanted to get to know a celebrity and a celebrity … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy, public sector, transparency | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Steve Jobs, Martin Heidegger, Apple and the new culture of technology

Posted on April 8, 2013 by

  As human beings, we seek a personal relationship in all that we do. [1]We want to see others and we want others to see us. When we meet and talk to each on a personal and physical level, we … Continue reading →

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What is the university in an age of social media?

Posted on February 12, 2013 by

Clay Shirky has posted an intriguing article on the future of the university in the social media age.  He argues that social-media technology, in particular the MP3 and technology to enable sharing, which has changed the music industry, is changing … Continue reading →

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The death of Daniel Morgan and the (im)possibility of Justice

Posted on October 31, 2012 by

A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time.” —Socrates, in Plato’s Apology, 31d–32a Daniel Morgan died with an axe in his face.  We … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, local government, philosophy, public sector, statesmanship, transparency | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Jimmy Savile and the cult of celebrity: how could he not get away with it?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

As more details emerge about Jimmy Savile’s behaviour as a sexual predator, what is becoming clear is that his status as a celebrity helped to protect him.  The question most people have asked, as the scale of his crimes is … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, philosophy, privacy, transparency | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Leveson’s fatal flaw: the Queen

Posted on October 3, 2012 by

Looking back on the Leveson Inquiry, it is clear that the review was fatally flawed from the start.  Although the terms of reference focused on the press, media relationship, the underlying issue was the way power is distributed and used … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, philosophy, republicanism, statesmanship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Political discourse in the age of always on recording devices: the death of statesmanship?

Posted on September 24, 2012 by

When Mitt Romney’s speech with the comment about the 47% was disclosed to the media, it changed the campaign.  The way the leak occurred revealed the perils of political speech in the age of always on recording devices.[1]  Political discourse … Continue reading →

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Penn State and the crisis of the American University.

Posted on August 16, 2012 by

The Penn State crisis reveals a deeper crisis than the Sandusky crimes where a sexual predator preyed on young boys.  The crisis is more than the cover up of the crimes described in the grand jury document and the Freeh … Continue reading →

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Does social media make us less than human? Human nature as a social object

Posted on August 4, 2012 by

I was fascinated by the idea of social object as used on this blog. The author developed the idea to include the concept of being in the world.  In this idea, our understanding is shaped by being as subject and … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment