Ancient and modern
The ancient belief in the power of words to protect us
In his 37-book Natural History, Pliny the Elder (d. ad 79) wondered why we wished people ‘Happy new year’ (primum…
The Greeks wouldn’t have accepted Cambridge’s ‘respect’ policy either
Professor Toope, the vice-chancellor of Cambridge university, had proposed a motion ordering all members of the university to ‘respect’ each…
Nick Robinson could learn a thing or two from Plato
Today presenter Nick Robinson has been reflecting on the political interview. He contrasts his interviews with scientists about Covid with…
Will we end up with a Paphlagonian Brexit deal?
Freed from the bonds of the European Union, Britain is now in a position to sign whatever trade deal it…
Modern historians take a Roman approach to history – whether they admit it or not
To what use does one put history? Romans thought it provided ‘lessons’. Modern historians rather sniff at the idea, but…
Aristotle would have seen Trump’s behaviour as entirely normal
Donald Trump may be a narcissist, but since he is not mentally ill in the technical sense, he is not…
Rome’s collegiate system was more logical than America's
So Humpty Trumpty has had his great fall. But how democratic or logical was his election in the first place…
The ancients knew the value of the natural world
The ancients knew nothing about global warming, but they still reflected on the relationship between man and nature. In the…
Can the UK avoid a Carthaginian Brexit deal?
The term ‘Carthaginian’ is often used of the EU’s attitude to post-Brexit trade negotiations with the UK, i.e. as if…
Boris Johnson needs to face down his own people
To beat the virus, the government is asking us to keep to simple hands-face-space guidelines. When these are not followed,…
Boris’s hero Pericles didn’t need a spokeswoman
A spokeswoman has been appointed ‘to communicate with the nation on behalf of the Prime Minister’. He apparently needs ‘a…
How to be content
The Covid-19 pandemic is apparently causing a large number of mental health problems. On that subject, one could do a…
The Socratic approach to Covid
Organs of the press are filled with opinion pages. The sublime confidence about Covid with which commentators advance these opinions,…
Should a Good Citizen snitch on neighbours?
If neighbours break whatever new Covid rules might soon emerge, it has been suggested that the Good Citizen might snitch…
Racism and the destructive power of language
Pursuing last week’s theme, this week’s column raises the question: if there is no such thing as ‘race’ — since…
The Romans weren’t racist
Rod Liddle has questioned whether Ms Jolly, chief librarian of the British Library, was right to say that whites invented…
Museums need wonder, not wokery
The British Museum’s aim is to use its collection ‘for the benefit and education of humanity’. If that manifests itself…
The Romans wouldn’t have understood our exam obsession
Many commentators have argued that the recent grading controversy indicates just how important public examinations are. Up to a point,…
The Romans welcomed migrants with open arms
The kind of arguments raging about migrants crossing the Channel to enter Britain illegally never raged in the Ancient Roman…
How the Athenians would have handled the Lords
Arguments about the purpose or indeed very existence of anything resembling the House of Lords would have struck classical democratic…
Mixed messages about body weight are nothing new
Tackling obesity is the latest government initiative, universally condemned as nannying. Ask a Spartan. From an early age, Spartan children…
Will all roads soon lead to York?
Should the PM move parliament to York? There is, of course, historical precedent for such a move, as he very…
Does classical Athens give us a clue to China’s next move?
In 1984, China agreed a ‘one country, two systems’ treaty with the UK, designed to control the relationship between Hong…
Tiberius and the ‘phantoms of liberty’
Word has it that ministers already do not bother to argue their corner with the government’s inner ring, while a…
What can Roman outbreaks of malaria teach us about Covid?
When Covid-19 first appeared, its similarity to Sars made some assume it could not mount a pandemic; others that it…
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