Political philosophy – The Conversation

The strange alliance between demagogues and despots ought to puzzle and worry every thinking person, and it needs to be understood.

Augustine had divisive opinions – and didn’t mind sharing them. But his writing also has lessons about talking to people who don’t see eye to eye.

A political philosopher on why denying the right to resistance poses a far greater threat to a society than embracing it.

The turn towards neofascism is a natural result of so-called western liberal democracy.

Some people may be spiteful to pull others down, while others act this way to get ahead.

Thomas Hobbes described a dark place called the ‘state of nature’. But he also showed us how to avoid falling into it.

The explicitly anti-democratic movement seems to have the ear of a major GOP donor – along with at least two GOP front-runners for the US Senate.

The prime minister accepts he broke the law but the question now becomes, did he mislead parliament about it?

We need to look at what’s behind arguments for and against drug testing welfare recipients to avoid repeating the same debate, over and over.

Russell Blackford’s How We Became Post-Liberal purports to offer a detached, historical account of why liberalism is in trouble.

Our society is now intolerant of those who are intolerant of others; they can be legally penalised. But is that in itself a failure of tolerance?

The introduction of an African passport has the capacity to bring about increased migration of Africans within Africa.

The University of Reading wrongly judged that Geras’ essay, which discusses political violence, might fall foul of the government’s Prevent strategy.

Ideas about softness and weakness, hardship and strength, have been central to reactionary politics since the beginning of human history.

Rather than expressions of remorse, evidence of integrity should mitigate protester sentences.

When everything is seen as political – indictments, Supreme Court decisions, scientific findings – a democracy may be on its way to fascism.