Monthly Archives: January 2014

Rousseau (2)

From the Guardian article (in the previous post), Theo Hobson continues: “If we want to reform our world, pragmatic rationalism is not enough: we need this bold vision, of full humanity regained.” Similarly, if we want to civilise our roads, we must … Continue reading

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Parallel with Rousseau

In his Discourse on Inequality (1754), Rousseau proposed the idea of “the state of nature”, a period in human life when natural compassion held sway and ensured equality (Theo Hobson, Guardian). With civilisation, this primal equality disappeared, chiefly because property was invented. “From … Continue reading

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Stopping and restarting

James Tate of Leeds University appeared in a One Show item last night about the added air pollution from traffic stopping and restarting. Apparently, it boosts the production of poisonous nitrous oxide by cooling catalytic converters which are most efficient … Continue reading

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Bad day in Braunton

Supported by a pusillanimous Parish Council, vested interests and the forces of reaction have won in Braunton, where new traffic lights are going in at a cost, I estimate, of £400,000.

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