Fame, notoriety, reputation, honour, celebrity. Stardom. “A celebrity,” said an American academic in the 1950s, “is someone who is famous for being well-known.” I have the sense that this particular […]
August 2025
Earlier posts first.
Stardom
The ‘obvious’ can obscure the true
“Assuming that we wish to clear up our controversies, we need to be sure that agreed criteria have been established and that these criteria are adequate to their job. This […]
‘One on One’ encounter *
There are 2 activities which I came across in the 1970s and which never fail to work—as long as people keep to the rules … The first is for 2 […]
The obvious winner?
I was 19 at the time. (15 when I fell under the spell of the English Hollywood star Dawn Adams—pictured from that period.) I had just got off the underground […]
A recipe for effective discussion *
When I think of the arguments, debates and discussions that I’ve taken part in (more or less since I was able to talk) I ask myself why I have made […]
The country of the blind
There is an English proverb, “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” This is glib and ‘obvious’, and prompted H G Wells to write a memorable […]
The three economic classes
In Chaucer’s day, there were just two recognised classes: the nobility (which included the higher clergy) and the common people (who were simply defined by being not-noble). You will come […]
Political labels (‘left’ and ‘right’)
Since we are profoundly affiliative creatures, we are attracted to labels. Most are labels which would be rejected by the political group identified. It’s unlikely that a group of concerned […]
‘Mental health’
Between school and Oxford, I borrowed a recently published book from the local library:Â The Myth of Mental Illness, by Thomas Szasz. It has achieved some fame over the years, and […]
‘Sex’ and ‘gender’
I have included sex as a driving force in human life among my “demon drivers.” This is about ‘sex’ (and therefore ‘gender’) as a classification. President Trump recently declared, “there are […]