Dec 14, 2020

Still shot from the film version of ‘*The Spy Who Came In from the Cold’ (1965) starring Richard Burton.*

Fragile Systems: On John le Carré and Europe

John le Carré has died. His career as part of the literary heritage of Britain seemed to have the endless capacity to evolve and progress while still telling the same story: the tragedy and inevitability of how our desires get intertwined with the systems we create. With his last two…

Where does der Verstehen come from? Does it matter?

An image of a woman concentrating on a touch screen display. The point of view is from behind the screen as she manipulates the windows of information in front of her.

There is a section in American philosopher Daniel C. Dennett’s book From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds (2017) where he takes a swipe at the German noun Verstehen (understanding) and how philosophers such as Immanuel Kant or Wilhelm Dilthey employ it. His problem with it? Understanding…

What does it mean to relate? Some reflections on the history of the word and on current UK-EU relations

In many ways, almost overnight, we are suddenly in a period in the UK of looking ahead. Coronavirus restrictions were further eased on 1 June and the government has entered its final round of Brexit trade talks this month before a stock take about whether to extend the process. And…

Fragile Systems: On John le Carré and Europe

Where does der Verstehen come from? Does it matter?

What does it mean to relate? Some reflections on the history of the word and on current UK-EU relations

Halbzeug (semi-finished product)