Between the cracks...war and peace
Why do some people, and countries crack up? Dr Peter Hughes reminds us that a civilisation has the same fragility as a life. So what conditions are necessary for it to happen?
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The Crack-Up
A look at the strange parallels in the way individuals and civilisations collapse.
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PODCAST: ASPECTS OF HISTORY
History Today
History, society and free speech today seen through the stories of Confucius, the French Revolution, Frederick Douglass, the Statue of Athena at Palmyra and the death of the Queen.
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VIDEO: FREE SPEECH NATION
Free Speech Nation
An interview with Andrew Doyle about tolerance, suffering and the psychology of hate
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ARTICLE: THE NEW STATESMAN
Should we have a statue of the Queen in Trafalgar Square?
At a time when Mary Poppins, skyscrapers, gardening and babies mark fault lines in the culture wars, it’s not surprising that demands for a statue of the Queen have been weaponised.
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The Language of Social Collapse
In The Crack-Up, an essay written in 1936, F Scott Fitzgerald described all life as “a process of breaking down” and he distinguished between two kinds of collapse...
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The Temptations of Tyranny
When Shigalyov, one of the revolutionaries in Dostoevsky’s Demons, lays out his “system of world organization,” he admits that he got “entangled in my own data.”
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The Purity Paradox: How Tolerance and Intolerance Increase at the Same Time
How can intolerance be increasing when Western democracies are demonstrably more tolerant of historically marginalised identities than at any point in their history?
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INTERVIEW: ASPECTS OF HISTORY
The philospher and broadcaster talks statues, philosophy and inspiration.
I was drawn into writing the book on the history of statue destruction out of a preoccupation with the present and the future rather than the past.
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Ideology, Psychology and Statue Destruction
Dr. Peter Hughes discusses the love, hate and the destruction of statues
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Statue Wars - Peter Hughes on Love & Hate in Statues
We all remember the summer of 2020 when, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, statues were brought down in the UK and the US. But is this the right way to ensure we continue...
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ARTICLE: ASPECTS OF HISTORY
The Memory of Wounds
It has been said that ignorance of history ensures its repetition. This view surely extends the power of knowledge beyond its limits.
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‘I Told You I Was Trouble’ - The Amy Winehouse Story
On this season we’ll dive deep into the life of Amy. From her rise to fame, her artistry, to her pain, her loves, and her losses. Could she have been saved?
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‘Putin’s brain’: What Alexander Dugin reveals about Russia’s leader
Much has been made of what Putin has in common with Stalin. Both leaders brook no dissent: they subordinate truth to ideology and preserve their lies through terror.
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PODCAST: NEW BOOKS NETWORK
New Books Network Podcast
An Interview with Professor Lia Paradis about 'A History of Love and Hate in 21 Statues'
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INTERVIEW: THE INDEPENDENT
Is it normal to feel numb right now?
As we continue to live through the pandemic, is feeling detached all part of the grieving process?
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Looking back to look forwards
Statues stand as markers of collective memory, says Dr Peter Hughes, 'connecting us to a shared sense of belonging.' They represent our ideals and our imperfections, our heroes and our villains,...
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ARTICLE: THE NEW STATESMAN
Eric Gill’s sculpture won’t be the last to fall in the name of moral purity
If you feel the urge to take a chisel in your hand and make your way to Broadcasting House, take a look in the mirror before you put your shoes on.
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Temptations and Wonders
Peter Hughes tells us how easy it is to succumb to tyranny and that 'the descent into tyranny is to be found in our nature'.
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INTERVIEW: THE SATURDAY EVENING POST
Should We Should Stop Taking Down Statues?
In this interview, the author of "A History of Love & Hate in 21 Statues" discusses how the toppling of these monuments can lead to deepening spirals of violence and intolerance.
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Two Tales of Statue Destruction in Afghanistan
The mathematician Nassim Nicholas Taleb observed that we do not spontaneously learn that we don’t learn that we don’t learn.
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Inside Story with Dr Peter Hughes and Humphrey Hawksley
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