PinnedMy Top StoriesThis is a selection of my own subjective picks. Some of them were popular, others not so much. But they are stories that I’m proud of. I compiled this list because my index of stories is just getting longer and longer. This is a good place to start to get…Culture4 min read
PinnedStart HereAn Index of my Medium Articles — I’ve indexed my posts by topic below so you can dive into my writing without endlessly scrolling on my profile page. You can also read my most substantial posts on The Sophist, my Medium publication. If you are not yet a member, you can support my work by joining Medium…Writing10 min read
Jun 6Might is Wrong and RightHere’s a terrifying thought for you — morality wasn’t handed out equally. The compassion of those with the most power matters more than those with less. The more dangerous you become, the more moral you are permitted to be by your own nature. This is an idea I found from…Philosophy2 min read
May 27How Philosophy Changed MeIt sounds cruel, but I don’t care anymore. Let me explain that feeling. — Pay attention to the world, and it will teach you its mysteries. The Hellenistic philosophies have a key concept in common, that is ataraxia, or a state of “unperterbedness”. It’s a state of mind that isn’t positively defined like “happy”, it’s a negation best translated as “not-disturbed”. It was believed…Philosophy6 min read
Apr 27Five Years at the Imperial War MuseumMarketing As Mission — “Tell the truth, but make the truth interesting.” - Ogilvy on Advertising February 2022 brought an end to a five-year stint heading marketing at Imperial War Museums. It’s a family of museums in the UK that focus on people’s experience of war and conflict since it was founded in 1917…Marketing12 min read
Apr 9Why I am a CentristIt takes a crisis of the magnitude of the Ukraine war to see who’s really on the side of democracy. On the hard left, we have whataboutism; on the hard right, appeasement. Hard left and right really are cut from the same cloth. What makes these political positions ultimately similar…Politics6 min read
Published in The Sophist·Mar 9Simone de Beauvoir: Irrepressible FreedomAt a young age, she asked herself, “Why bother?” Her answer turns our assumptions about freedom, rights, kindness and violence on their heads. — We have thoughts, feelings, hopes and desires. We also can be treated as statistics, objects…Philosophy13 min read
Published in The Sophist·Mar 6The Nothingness of YouA disappearing act for enlightenment — When you look at the philosophies of the world, from Buddhism of the ancient East to Existentialism in the modern West, there’s a fundamental idea that they all have in common. That idea is that there really is no “I”. We live out a fantasy of selfhood. It goes something…Philosophy6 min read
Feb 28How Not to LeadSurround yourself with sycophants and cronies. Intimidate your rivals, distance yourself from critical friends. Your boardroom becomes an echo chamber, your doctrine becomes group-think. Paranoia hangs around you like a poisonous fog as respect evaporates. Your capacity for empathy and critical thinking will wither and die as your chest is…Leadership1 min read
Feb 6The Time I Bothered to Listen to a Homeless PersonIt was on a hot day that I met Patrick. I was sitting at an outdoor table in the park beside the London museum where I worked. He sat opposite me, setting down his bag as if to rest for a moment. He faced away, gazing nowhere in particular. It…Homelessness4 min read