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The Moral Compass

The Moral Compass

June 10, 2024

When did you last take a moment to check your moral compass? We all have one, and no two are the same, but don’t forget you’ll also need a map. That’s where it gets tricky.

The commemoration of the Normandy Landings reminds us that in the 1940s, Britons were taught values in church, at school, and at home. Of course, not everyone respected these values, but at least they knew where they stood. This is the principle of moral absolutism—knowing that a wrong turn could l…

What is Love?

What is Love?

February 04, 2024

I spent the New Year's holidays with my family in Vienna, where a highlight of our visit was the Belvedere Palace and its 800-year art collection.

The best-known exhibit is The Kiss, painted by Gustav Klimt in 1908, an iconic work in the Art Nouveau style, with the organic forms of the earlier Arts and Crafts movement.

Some believe the inspiration was Apollo kissing Daphne in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Others argue it was Greek legend – Orpheus kissing Eurydice before losing…

Hostages to Fortune

Hostages to Fortune

October 14, 2022

In 1612, when Sir Francis Bacon coined the wonderful phrase, “give hostages to fortune”, he was talking about how innocent actions might allow bad things to happen in the future.

In The Journey, one unplanned event after another knocks the protagonist off course. But isn’t this true for everyone?

A young friend recently explained how she had her life plotted out. She knew exactly where she’d be in five years, and nothing would change that. I agreed with her. B…