Simon Duffy

Thoughts, Bemusements & Arguments

Simon Duffy

Thoughts, Bemusements & Arguments

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Reflections on William Beveridge

20th October 2011

At the foundation of the welfare state it was clear that Beveridge was under the same pressure to 'patch' as we too have faced ever since he designed it.

Adam Smith on Celebrity

15th October 2011

A quote from the ‘Theory of Moral Sentiments’.

Spartan Tax Rates

11th October 2011

Can we make comparisons today?

On the Mystery of the Incarnation

10th October 2011

With thanks to John O'Brien for sharing this poem.

The Tyranny of the Medianocracy

9th October 2011

Aristotle feared that democracy might become the rule of the mob, the demos. He saw their short-sighted, wilfulness as a threat to good order.

Mohawk Prayer of Thanksgiving

5th October 2011

John O'Brien shared the following Mohawk prayer of thanksgiving.

The Citizen & The Stranger

5th October 2011

An aphorism

The Limits of Centralisation

3rd October 2011

Citizenship must be rooted in local experiences of active engagement.

The Paideia Proposal

26th September 2011

The Paideia Proposal was an educational reform plan proposed by Mortimer Adler in the USA.

Democratic Welfare Reform

21st September 2011

The struggle for democracy offers us a parallel to the struggle for welfare reform.

Mr Pye and Do-Goodery

19th September 2011

Mervyn Peake's novel ‘Mr Pye’ is a wonderful fable on the perils of do-goodery.

One Value of Diversity

14th September 2011

We each need the difference of one another.

Not from Benevolence

10th September 2011

Our duty to look after our own interests is right and proper.

Equality

8th September 2011

Lessons from ‘The Declaration of Independence’.

The Centre of Totalitarianism

7th September 2011

A quote from Hannah Arendt on the importance of concentration camps to totalitarianism.

Science and Humanity

6th September 2011

The important judgements about society, about ourselves and about others are moral judgements.

Towards a View from Nowhere

5th September 2011

We don't always understand what is in the interests of other people nor can we always trust our own values or ideals.

Do Not Harvest to the Edges

2nd September 2011

Biblical Social Justice Theory.

Citizenship in the Welfare State

1st September 2011

We need to move away from models of public policy that treat citizens as if they were merely subjects.

Sufficiency is Wealth

Sufficiency is Wealth

30th August 2011

The idea that sufficiency is equal to wealth may seem paradoxical.

Perhaps His Blood is Redder

27th August 2011

We are not worthy to judge. Only God can judge. So we must presume our own unworthiness: we must put ourselves last.

The Prince and the Rooster

26th August 2011

The best support lifts people up as equals - not from above, not from below - but alongside.

Three (or Four) Kinds of People

24th August 2011

This story reveals a theme which runs through moral philosophy. Are we motivated to act rightly because of duty itself or because of external influence or fear?

The Mohawk Prayer

22nd August 2011

A prayer for forgiveness.