The ideas that shape us
Essays on history, thought and the human condition.
Read chronologically or by theme.
History· Philosophy · Culture
What Has Become Normal
One of my most read essays in 2025 asked whether political patterns in the United States echoed darker moments in 1930’s Germany. A great deal has happened since then so it seems worth returning to the question to test it.
When Power Demands Honour
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has handed her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump at the White House, presenting it as recognition of his ‘commitment to Venezuela’s freedom’. The symbolism is elegant. The reality is not.
Orwell in the Age of Trump
In 1949 George Orwell wrote what many consider his masterpiece, 1984. What can it teach us about what’s happening in the world today?
Strongmen and Soft Words
From euphemisms and slogans to sentimental appeals, modern authoritarianism often arrives in language that sounds soothing — even noble. But beneath the softness lies something more sinister.
The Meaning Wars
From “fake news” to “special military operations,” this is how political language is quietly reshaped to suit those in power — and why the change matters for how we understand truth and authority.
Why Words Have Lost Their Meaning
Ludwig Wittgenstein is hard to understand. He was a puzzling, exacting thinker who profoundly changed how we see language, especially how words acquire meaning and how ordinary language shapes our view of the world.