Archive index by catagory
These notes have been used to aid Circle discussions and are being made available to anyone who wants to make use of them. The catagories are subjective. You may disagree with my allocation....
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ARTISTIC & CULTURAL
Abstract painting – ‘Anyone can do that’
Appreciating wine, poetry and art - a plain wo/man’s guide to avoiding bunkum
Art and Impact – Examining the impact of three pieces of art
Book to Film – Do they work well?
Culture is Ordinary – based on the essay by Raymond Williams
Football - is it more serious than life and death?
How to talk about things we know nothing about - Intrigued?
Humour – and Stand-up Comedians - just a laugh?
Is Public Art worth it? – It is expensive but is it uplifting?
John Milton – Poet or Politician?
Poems from Paintings
The Jaguar - appreciation of the poem by Ted Hughes
The Body - Images and cultural constructs
The Future of Books and Libraries - do they have a future?
What is poetry? – also an appreciation of Slyvia Plath’s poem ‘Mushrooms’
HISTORICAL
French revolution – did it go wrong?
Leek History, Culture and Heritage
PHILOSOPHICAL
Consciousness - What is consciousness?
Consciousness 2 – More on this difficult subject
Consciousness 3 – The mind body problem
Convention on Modern Liberty – erosion of freedoms?
Culture is Ordinary – based on the essay by Raymond Williams
Guilt - what is it good for?
Heroes – what are they?
Hobbes - An influential British Philosopher
History is Bunk – Do we use history well?
Hysteria – also the stress of modern life
Inequality in Society – Can we ever be equal?
Jean Paul Sartre - a modern philosopher
Karl Marx – Suddenly he is back in favour
Paine and poverty – looking at what Thomas Paine had to say about poverty.
Popper and Science – the theory of falsification. Popper’s social and political ideas.
Socrates - Perhaps the most influential philosopher
POLITICAL and ECONOMIC
BNP success in EU elections is a boost for British democracy – Will the electorate wake up?
Chinese Capiltalist revolution - will they rule the world?
Cuba – a unique political system.
Do we get the Politicians we Deserve? – Do we expect too much of our politicians?
Global Economic crisis – comparisons with recessions of the past.
Is the USA a spent Force? – Is the dominant power of the 20th century on its way out?
Left versus Right – an analysis of quotations by some famous names
Local Government – Why was Democracy for Stoke needed?
Target Culture and Performance Management
The State of India - is India in a state?
USA. How’s Obama doing? – Now he’s in how’s he doing?
USA, an update - Barack Obama: hope, fear and advice…
What are Universities for? - should they be reformed?
RELIGION and THEOLOGY
Buddhism - why has it captured the spirit of the age?
Islam – consideration of some concepts of this huge religion.
SCIENTIFIC
Artificial Intelligence – will it exceed human intelligence?
Climate Change - an up-date on facts and arguments
Climate Change and the Supply of Power – How will we power the world
Fibonacci Sequence and Symmetry - maths in nature.
The Precautionary Principle – Will it kill science?
Visions of the Future – some views of the theoretical physicist Michio Kaku
World Food Emergency – How do we feed the world?
SOCIOLOGICAL
Binge drinking – Britain leads Europe, why?
Citizenship 2 – A second shot at this huge subject
Citizenship 3 – A third shot at this huge subject
Citizenship-5 - A fifth shot at this huge subject
Confidence – A look at the importance of confidence in human relationships
Dubai - Cities of the future?
Englishness and the British State - which way English nationalism?
Feminism Reviewed – Are we all feminists now?
Future of the British Pub - Last orders: calling time on pubs
Grandparents - more important than ever?
Individual Freedom in the UK – Are our freedoms being eroded?
Persistent Change – Life's so complicated!
Pets as Kin – Do we attach too much importance to pets?
Rape – Only 6% of reported rapes end in conviction.
Should we get out of the EU. - This question keeps coming up.
Teenage pregnancy – the Uk has one of the worst records in Europe
The Law - should it be used to protect us from ourselves?
The Under Class – Class and the poor.
Triviality – What is trivia?
What are the limits of parental control? - state intervention?
Women and Domesticity - what's changed?