Phase Lines

GDP and Liberal Apostasy

Everything appears to be on the move, recently. I am having and overhearing conversations that would have been relegated to late-night dinner tables with trusted friends or hushed corners of a pub somewhere (although even that could soon be impossible with the government defacto banning of public discussion). The idea that Liberalism is working out just fine and progress is being made is, even at the most generous reading, beginning to look rather untenable. To the more cynical, and some might argue more observant, it’s apparent that Liberalism and its application of equality absolutism to every gamut of humanity, has led us to the disaster we see unfolding in the UK.

Being MAiD To Do It

The argument for/against legallising euthanasia, medical assistance in dying (MAiD), assisted suicide (or however the legislature wish to brand it) is not something most people are excited to have. For myself it was something I briefly analysed in my youth and, with an arrogant flourish that is known so well to people in their 20’s, decided the conclusion was so obvious as to not warrant further thought or time.

Just Following ‘The Science™’

An incredible time investment opportunity has arisen. Should you so desire, you can indulge yourself in nearly two hours of the incredible intellect that is Steven Bartlett pretending to engage with sincerity the obsequious grifter that is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. Apparently some sort of book is in the offing and the odious charlatan (to specify, Johnson, in this context) is on a “Mea culpa” tour in, I can only assume, the hope that he can sell enough books to meet his next child support payment. What a treat.

Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes

“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.” – Harry G. Frankfurt, On Bullshit

In 2008, with the election of Obama, came the excited chatter that one of his first actions would be to close the infamous Guantanamo detention center. Even in the UK this became one of the main focal points of the already febrile anticipation of the Nobel laureate’s Presidency as he issued an executive order to close it within his first year.

Me being the fun character that I am, took it upon myself to point out to friends that this was unlikely to happen. Even going as far as to bet £50 on the outcome. There was much irritation when I won said bet (although I refused to collect).

Guilt by Dissociation

Recently, nothing has amused or entertained me as much as watching the total and almost overnight disappearance of SARS-CoV-2 from the media/government narrative and the public as a whole. It seems impossible to overstate this phenomenon. One moment the media classes were busy wondering out loud how best to punish the unvaccinated as government ministers gave them cover* to hide their authoritarianism behind; the next, all is forgotten in the rush for the new, glorious war breaking out in Eastern Europe. The existential struggle against the world’s deadliest virus, the only known cure for which is the total subjugation of all individual soverign rights was, apparently, over.

The Mistake We Can’t Even Look At

For a theory to go into a textbook as knowledge, it does not need the unanimity of checkers’ assent, but it does need far more than a bare majority’s. It should be generally recognized as having stood up better than any competitor to most of the tests that various critical debunkers have tried
‘Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought’ – Jonathan Rauch

I recently re-read Jonathan Rauch’s ‘Kindly Inquisitors’ as an exercise in poignancy over the damage wrought upon liberal science during 2020-2021. I have been shocked by the scale and blatancy with which the weaknesses in intellectual liberalism have been exploited during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The School That Didn’t Understand The Implicit Association Test

After Keir Starmer’s audacity in interpreting the phrase “defund the police” as meaning “defund the police” he has once again flipped his position and said he will sign up for “unconscious bias training” (or UBT) to make amends.

Continue reading “The School That Didn’t Understand The Implicit Association Test”

Rebels Without a Case

One of the most interesting and admittedly amusing volt-face I’ve witnessed has been that of the “stay-home, stay safe” social media fervour being forgotten, seemingly overnight, in the face of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests.

What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?

The speed with which many of the narratives of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ organisation have been accepted among the mainstream is quite staggering. Almost every major news channel, paper, broadcaster, politician, public figure and corporate brand have not only accepted their claims without any rigorous checking of the facts but also willingly propagated them.