By: David Beavis on March 19, 2024
With American public schools falling behind and an increasing distrust of the public school system, Emma Green, a columnist for The New Yorker, spotlights a trend in American education: families are substituting public schools with charter schools that focus on the classics.[1] With a foundation of ancient Greek and Roman writers, the pillars of classical…
By: Becca Hald on March 18, 2024
“The truth is the truth is the truth is the truth throughout the ages – that’s what it means to worship the one true God. And our job is to follow the truth, to fight for it, and to make way for it, wherever it may lead.”[1] So Matthew R. Petrusek ends Part I of…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on March 18, 2024
Nigel Biggar author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, stepped out on a ledge when writing his controversial book on British Colonialism. In the context of 2023, he took a risk and he also struggled greatly to have the book published. I believe in the value of varied perspectives. Learning from each other and seeking to…
By: Daron George on March 17, 2024
Colonialism, as defined by Merriam-Webster is “domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation : the practice of extending and maintaining a nation’s political and economic control over another people or area[1]” Nigel Biggar, Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, challenges prevailing attitudes towards…
By: Chad McSwain on March 16, 2024
By what information do we form our perceptions, opinions and future behavior? Psychologist point out that people are not entirely rational and rely on shortcuts called “biases” to make sense of information. One particular bias that seems relevant for a reflection of historical events and their impact on the present and future is called the…
By: Greg McMullen on March 15, 2024
During his midnight ride, Paul Revere alerted the colonial militia that the British troops were coming. However, in many countries there was not a person or warning of what was to come by invasion of the British Empire. We see many countries in Africa and throughout the continents of the world that were impacted by…
By: Audrey Robinson on March 15, 2024
Nigel Biggar’s work, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, is an ambitious, thorough, and all-encompassing analysis of Britain’s historical relationship with colonialism. I can understand why the book has received mixed reviews. It was a complex undertaking, and I consider myself just a few inches left of the center. However, rather than go point by point with…
By: Laura Fleetwood on March 15, 2024
Oxford professor, Dr. Nigel Biggar offers an appraisal of British Colonialism in his 2023 book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning.[1] His thesis is that contrary to popular opinion, the British Empire largely had good intentions when it came to expanding their power and influence around the world. He emphasizes that they did not set out to…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on March 15, 2024
In his book Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, Biggar starts the introduction to his book and shares how he got notified that his “Ethics and Empire project had become the target of an online denunciation by a group of students, followed by a reassurance from the university that it had risen to defend my right to…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on March 14, 2024
I was recently imagining a conversation with my grandmother on the topics we have been discussing in our DLGP cohort: wicked problems, the good kill, colonialism. What would Grandma have to contribute? Born in 1910, my grandma saw a lot of change in her ninety-six years. I lived with her for my first two years…
By: Becca Hald on March 14, 2024
Life in the Russian River Valley has been an eye-opening experience. Our summertime tourist hotspot becomes a deadly menace in the midst of winter storms. Even the small creek on my property can quickly evolve into a dangerous torrent. We do not take lightly the threat of flooding or falling branches. I had no idea…
By: Kristy Newport on March 14, 2024
Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was a television preschool program that ran from 1968-2001. What was the secret to the success of this 33 year running TV program? Read the lyrics to the song that Mr. Rogers would open the show with: It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day…
By: Michael O'Neill on March 14, 2024
Introduction This week I enjoyed frequent reading interval sessions using both audio and ebook formats of Nigel Biggar’s, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning. Biggar’s treatment of history is both humble and enlightening, presenting a balanced perspective on the complex issues of empires, colonialism, and morality that feels both honest and reflective. By acknowledging his faith upfront,…
By: David Beavis on March 13, 2024
“Was British liberal imperialism, given the extent of the damage it inflicted over generations, a more malevolent influence on world history than even Nazi Fascism?” This question is, according to Sunil Khilnani, indirectly implied in Caroline Elkins’s book Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag. Khilnani, in reviewing Elkins’s book in The New Yorker,…
By: Tonette Kellett on March 11, 2024
Introduction This week’s book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning by Nigel Biggar, partly argued that the British Empire and its colonies never intended to cause harm. In fact, their intentions were primarily good. [1] In addition to the book, I viewed an interview with this author. He delineated four areas in which the British “got it…
By: Caleb Lu on December 11, 2023
“Some people just shouldn’t have kids.” This was something that I overheard in a conversation last year about how IVF(in-vitro fertilization) babies frequently end up in the NICU(neonatal intensive care unit). Their argument was simple, parents who “artificially” conceived were more likely to have fragile babies. By fragile, it was implied that these babies could…
By: Daron George on December 10, 2023
“Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is an exploration of how systems, both natural and artificial, respond to different kinds of stressors. In this review of Talibs’s book, I will focus on Taleb’s perspective on stressors as sources of information and catalysts for improvement. Central to Taleb’s idea is the concept…
By: Laura Fleetwood on December 10, 2023
Identity politics is a charged phrase these days. For some, it elicits a prideful response, for others a snicker or sneer. Regardless of whether one is a fan of identity politics, we all must acknowledge that we want to be valued for who we are. It is this desire for recognition and respect that Francis…
By: Tonette Kellett on December 10, 2023
Nassim Taleb’s book Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder was a challenging read for me this past week, perhaps because it’s the end of the semester for both doctoral work and my job at school. I’m pressured to finish my assignments, give and grade semester exams myself, and so on. Then there is this very…
By: Michael O'Neill on December 9, 2023
Introduction In Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s (NNT) groundbreaking work, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, the author challenges traditional perspectives on resilience and introduces the concept of antifragility. Rooted in both financial expertise and philosophical insight, Taleb urges readers to view “volatility, randomness, and disorder,” not as threats but as opportunities for growth.[1] He opens his…
