The fork in the road
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We could still aspire to the Sunlit Uplands, says Colin Tudge – but the world’s leaders are taking us and our fellow creatures in the opposite direction. The “People-led Renaissance” is necessary and urgent Truly, humanity has reached a fork in the road; and, influential creatures that we are, whichever way we go we will … Read more
The real cost of junk food: why we need to re-think food strategy from first principles
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A new report from economist Tim Jackson at the University of Surrey tells us that our “addiction” to junk food is costing Britain £268 billion per year — which far exceeds the total budget of the NHS. Professor Jackson calls for “bold, ambitious leadership aligned across government” to provide a more propitious “legal, fiscal and … Read more
Donald Trump, Elon Musk, God, and the American Declaration of Independence
Colin Tudge questions the wisdom of one of America’s seminal texts How can we explain the rise and now the resurrection of Donald Trump – who didn’t simply seize power in some coup as so many autocrats have, but was actually chosen by the people in an apparently unrigged election? The commonest explanation is that … Read more
Agriculture is by far the most important thing that human beings do – the thing we absolutely have to get right. So why won’t the powers-that-be take it seriously? By Colin Tudge
Small farms and farmers are disappearing at an alarming rate – and yet they are vital. Colin Tudge suggests that a prime task for humanity (among a host of others) is to re-establish agriculture as the focus of all our endeavours and to raise the status of farmers The only people who are truly treasured … Read more
How might the world be different
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In three recent blogs – The Biology of Compassion; Life is a Master-class in Cooperativeness; and The Battle for Darwin’s Soul – I have argued that a capacity for Compassion (kindness; love) is deeply embedded in our psyche. We should have far more faith in ourselves, and in “human nature” in general. Here and in … Read more
Technology – and especially farming – for a kinder world
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If we really care about humanity, and our fellow creatures, and the future, then all our technologies, like everything else, must be rooted in the “bedrock principles” of Morality and Ecology. Colin Tudge asks what this might imply in practice There’s a very wide spectrum of technologies, from the humblest of crafts to “high-tech”. Crafts … Read more
The battle for Darwin’s soul
Darwin was much influenced first by the gloomy T R Malthus and then championed by the pugnacious T H Huxley. Colin Tudge suggests that if only Darwin had known the Russian naturalist and activist Peter Kropotkin the world might now be a very different place Two of the most influential books published in the 19th … Read more
Onward the Greens!
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Colin Tudge predicts big political re-alliances over the next few years – with a growing army of Greens All political parties are coalitions. As someone once remarked re the Church of England, no two people sharing a pew think exactly the same, and this is abundantly true too of politicians sharing a bench. But some … Read more