When doors to dialogue slam shut, people look for other ways to be heard

Let’s look at some history of protest, with the crackdown on #XR’s peaceful, #fluffy protests, it’s no surprise that movements are moving into stronger, more disruptive actions. When one path to change is systematically #blocked, history shows that movements turn too #spiky, and we’re already seeing this shift. Recent events, like the symbolic damage by … Continue reading When doors to dialogue slam shut, people look for other ways to be heard

The Age of Global Militarism: How Veneration of the Military Spread—and Why it Matters

Militarism is on the rise globally. Arms sales are at all-time highs, and public confidence in the military has surged. Rather than waning in the post-Cold War era, military glorification has intensified, with political and cultural leaders idealizing soldiers, not for their professionalism, but for their heroism and sacrifice. At a recent event hosted by … Continue reading The Age of Global Militarism: How Veneration of the Military Spread—and Why it Matters

Market Failure: Green Energy, Capitalism, and the Path We’re Not Taking

Professor Brett Christophers (Uppsala University) This lecture will explore the shortcomings of market-driven solutions to the climate crisis, the role of green energy, and the structural limits of capitalism in addressing environmental challenges. The climate crisis is getting worse, not better. We are burning more fossil fuels, not less. Even with the massive expansion of … Continue reading Market Failure: Green Energy, Capitalism, and the Path We’re Not Taking

Ransom War: The Rising Threat of Cybercrime and National Security

Professor Ciaran Martin and Dr Max Smeets talk about his new book, Ransom War: How Cyber Crime Became a Threat to National Security. What did I get from this event: Cybercrime is no longer only about stolen credit cards and leaked emails, it has become a battleground for national security. This was the focus of … Continue reading Ransom War: The Rising Threat of Cybercrime and National Security

Worshipping at the Temple of the #Deathcult: The Business Class and Its Myths

At the Oxford Arms Dealer School, in the room with the “enemy“, the business class, we gathered to hear Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Economist and CEO of the Confederation of British Industry, preach to the “faithful”. But at the drinks after I find the ordnance is actorly a mix of locals and academics, less enemy than … Continue reading Worshipping at the Temple of the #Deathcult: The Business Class and Its Myths

Homo curator: towards the ethics of consumption

Book Launch Reflection: Homo Curator: Towards the Ethics of Consumption The launch of Homo Curator: Towards the Ethics of Consumption, edited by Peter Rona, Laszlo Zsolnai, and Agnieszka Wincewicz-Price, brings fresh Dominican thinking into the pressing issues of consumerism and environmental collapse. This book is a product of the Las Casas Institute’s symposium on “The … Continue reading Homo curator: towards the ethics of consumption

People are talking about this subject

From an Oxford talk I attended recently https://hamishcampbell.com/blavatnik-book-talks-the-forever-crisis/ Governance both horizontal, federated and #FOSS native is a hot subject at the moment. It’s a good time for people to look at this. Over the last 5 years we have been developing the outline of the native Open Governance Body (#OGB) project is an innovative approach … Continue reading People are talking about this subject

Blavatnik Book Talks: The Forever Crisis

This is my reaction from the talk, have not read the book. In The Forever Crisis, the author presents complex systems thinking as a framework for addressing the world’s intractable challenges at the level of global governance. The book critiques the traditional top-down approaches pushed by powerful institutions like the #UN, highlighting how these solutions … Continue reading Blavatnik Book Talks: The Forever Crisis

The Present and Future of US Politics: Foreign Policy

Speaker: Peter Feaver (Duke University)As the United States heads into a high-stakes presidential election, this seminar series explores the structural problems and political challenges behind the headlines. We examine why American politics is so polarised and ask: what is at stake in the 2024 elections? The seminars will open with a short presentation by an … Continue reading The Present and Future of US Politics: Foreign Policy