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Rousseau’s Social Contract & Why the Rich Get Richer While the Poor Get Poorer
My husband and I recently visited a charming 280-acre National Trust property nestled in the green hills of south Oxfordshire. First built in the late Middle Ages, Greys Court comprises a substantial complex of sandstone buildings and walled courtyard gardens. Enjoying coffee and cake in a long, low building said to have garrisoned Cromwell’s soldiers…
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The (Philosophical) Demise of Democracy
Of late, there’s been much debate about the collapse of authority in the UK. It would appear a consensus of sorts has finally been reached this is not a good thing. However the hope is the new government will sort it all out for us. I wonder. In The Republic, Plato reminds us that just…
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“Know Thyself” but then what?
Inscribed over the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi is the ancient Greek aphorism “Know thyself”. Certainly good advice. But before we can follow it, we need to dig deeper into the nature of the ‘self’ that we wish to know. This is harder than you think. In the West there is no…
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When is Fiction Art and Why Does it Matter?
Art commands special status and support from states, corporations, and the public at large. Art is not just a matter of profits – indeed some art is extremely unprofitable. Art is of enduring cultural esteem and concern. Yet given its importance, surprisingly there is no accepted definition of art. Most philosophers believe that simply being…
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Clegg & Cameron in Composite
Typically used for astrological assessment of romantic relationships, a composite chart gives insight into the thurst of the combined energy of two people. The highlights of the composite of Britain’s two new leaders: (1) Libra moon (naturally adaptive ability to smooth trouble situations and reconcile conflicts of opinion), (2) Jupiter in Leo (ambitious, warm and…
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Pluto & Politics
An astrologer for whom I have great respect, once told me that Pluto transits are like psychic diarrhoea – they don’t feel particularly good but are absolutely necessary to clean out the waste which would otherwise kill us. Never forget that Pluto is the God of the Underworld. In the end, Pluto always wins. Throughout…
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The Duchess – past and present
Researching for my new novel (Lords & Lies), my husband and I recently watched the film ‘The Duchess’ – which is based on the true life story of the Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (an ancestor of Princess Diana). In her time (1757-1806), Georgina was beautiful, glamorous, and a trendsetter in fashion and politics. She was…
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Lessons to learn from Anthony Trollope
I just finished reading Anthony Trollope’s brilliant novel The Way We Live Now. Although written in 1872, Trollope’s portrayal of the ultra-greedy businessman, Melmotte, has much to show us about the way we really do in fact live right now. As another character comments, Melmotte is ‘a sign of degeneracy’, not the cause. Not unlike bankers and…
ARCHETYPAL ASSETS
Innovation in Cultural Cosmology