Security Sermonising

I Do Some Sermonising

Margaret Atwood | In The Writing Burrow | 14th December 2023

Reflections on the power of names and of giving names to things, delivered by Margaret Atwood as a sermon to the graduating class of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. "The act of naming is the first thing Adam does after being created; and it is the second thing God does, He names the sun, moon, and stars. What things are called was evidently of great importance to God" (1,600 words)

The Future Of Security

Ben Ansell | BBC | 6th December 2023

Second Reith Lecture, on the delicate balance between freedom and order in a liberal society. "No liberal democracy can survive when it doesn't hold a monopoly on the use of force. We cannot defund the police. But when we aim for security we may end up oversteering like a drunkard on a narrowboat, and find ourselves again prone to bad actors, the very ones who we employ to protect us" (9,400 words)