‘Being Thoughtful’: a reading guide

Being Thoughtful is a philosophy of life that many will embrace on reflection of what different paths may entail, and can be cultivated through the development of one’s understanding of the world around them.  It can be applied to one’s beliefs and life choices, one’s relationships with others, and one’s actions as a member of wider communities.

To find out more to consider and share with others, the following may be of interest (these are short essays of 500-800 words, unless otherwise indicated):

[A] Why Embrace ‘Being Thoughtful’ as a Philosophy of Life

·      ‘Being Thoughtful: a philosophy of life’ (2020): an introductory outline of the ethos. (Question the Powerful – 16 September 2020)

·      ‘What Kind of People Are We?’ (2012): distinguishing the different types of people we could be if we embrace or reject thoughtfulness as a guide to life.

·      ‘The Reciprocity Test: Pros & Cons’ (2013): using the concept of ‘reciprocity’ to ascertain our dispositions towards being thoughtful.

·      ‘The Case for Cooperative Problem-Solving’ (2012): why cooperative problem-solving is central to living thoughtfully.

·      ‘Cooperative Problem-Solving: the key to a reciprocal society’ (2012): what are the key elements to cooperative problem-solving.

·      ‘The General Theory of Responsibility: an introduction’ (2020):  a guide to resources explaining what a thoughtful conception of responsibility involves.

·      ‘Left, Right or Optimal?’ (2017): why being thoughtful is concerned with the optimal choice rather than conventional labels and pre-conceived expectations.

·      ‘The Cooperative Gestalt’ (2013): explaining how the ‘cooperative gestalt’ is the mindset with which one perceives the world in a thoughtful manner.

·      ‘Learning More about Cooperative Gestalt’ (2013): a guide to more materials explicating the cooperative gestalt.

·      What Should Citizens Believe? (2018): a collection of texts that explore rationality and how to deliberate over what to believe.

[B] How to Advance Thoughtfulness in Practice

·      ‘The Path of Thoughtfulness’ (2020): what is to be done to stay thoughtful in the face of threats and obstacles.

·      ‘The Cult of Thoughtlessness’ (2017): understanding the causes and dangers of thoughtlessness.

·      ‘Four Threats of the Counter-Enlightenment’ (2018): why counter-enlightenment trends need to be tackled.

·      ‘In Defence of Cooperative Communities: 7 points to note’ (2018): how are cooperative communities sustained by thoughtful minds to be defended.

·      ‘Guide to Synetopia’ (2016): a guide to essays on aspects of the concept of ‘synetopia’ and their relevance to practical reforms.

·      Political Literacy & Civic Thoughtfulness (2016): a pamphlet on how to cultivate civic thoughtfulness in society.

·      ‘Six Degrees of Cooperation’ (2014): where should thoughtful cooperation be more extensively developed.

·      ‘Politics & the Cooperative Gestalt’ (2015): what is the relevance of the cooperative gestalt to political action.

·      ‘The Cooperators’ Dilemma’ (2018): understanding the difficulties faced by those challenged by others’ non-cooperation.

·      Time to Save Democracy (2018): a book length work on why and how democracy should be strengthened in line with the philosophy of thoughtfulness.

[C] What Key Ideas have influenced the Philosophy of Thoughtfulness

·      ‘Find out more about Communitarianism’ (2013): the theory and practice set out in the book, Communitarianism, provide the basis for the philosophy of ‘Being Thoughtful’, and this resource guide gives more information about it and other short, relevant articles.

·      The Evolution of Communitarian Ideas: history, theory & practice (2019):  a book that provides a comprehensive exposition of how communitarian ideas have developed over time.

·      ‘In Praise of Mo Tze’ (2010): on the ideas of the ancient Chinese philosopher, Mo Tze (or Mozi). 

·      ‘Democritus: an agreeable hypothesis about everything’ (2018): on the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher, Democritus. 

·      ‘Question the Powerful: quincentenary of the 1514 watershed’ (2014): on the ideas of a number of Renaissance thinkers.

·      ‘Our Bacon Needs Saving’ (2011): on the ideas of Francis Bacon, their influence since the 17^th century, and the opposition to them.

·      ‘Who’s Against the Enlightenment’ (2007): on the importance of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the attempts to discredit them.

·      ‘Cooperation: A New Order of Life’ (2017): a review of Stephen Yeo’s book on George Holyoake and his vision for thoughtful cooperation.

·      ‘Mill, Dewey & Me’ (2009): on why J. S. Mill’s and John Dewey’s ideas are important in the development of the philosophy of thoughtfulness.

·      Against Power Inequalities – a history of the progressive struggle (2015):  a book on the intellectual and political battles to tackle one of the most serious threats against thoughtful cooperation – power inequalities. 

The General Theory of Responsibility: an introduction

The materials that constitute the general theory of responsibility are to be found across a number of books and articles. An outline of the key ideas and their interconnections is set out in below, followed by a guide to the publications where detailed exposition of these ideas can be found. A three-part introduction to these ideas will also be posted on Question the Powerful (in May 2020).

Our aim is to explain why we should guide and encourage others to act responsibly, what that means in practice, and how to promote the socio-political conditions that are conducive to responsible behaviour at all levels.

[1] Mutual Responsibility
Our Concern for Each Other:
The starting point is the evolution of human connectedness that is reflected by the universal acknowledgement of the Golden Rule of behaviour – that we should act towards others as we would have them act towards us. This forms the basis of mutual responsibility, whereby we recognise the need to account for our behaviour to each other.
The Problem of Indifference:
Some people may lack concern for others because of emotionally damaging upbringing, acquired prejudice, unfortunate pathology, dogmatic embrace of egotism, or some other empathy-depleting factor.
Empathic Thoughtfulness:
We need to cultivate empathic thoughtfulness as a preventative measure in general, and as a restorative technique where necessary. People can learn to see others as fellow human beings and develop a sense of responsibility towards them.
Togetherness in Society:
We need socio-political actions to enhance togetherness across communities to connect people and build solidarity, including the development of shared mission, mutual respect, and coherent membership

[2] Cooperative Enquiry
Our Reasoning with Each Other:
Our concern for each other means that we want to do what is helpful and avoid what is harmful for one another, and this requires us to differentiate what merits our belief regarding the consequences of our actions. This in turn calls upon us to be prepared to subject any claims being considered by ourselves and others to a mutual empirical scrutiny that is embodied in cooperative enquiry, exemplified by scientific research, legal due process, and impartial public inquiry.
The Problem of Ignorance:
Some people may not be aware of the relevant facts because of a lack of information, their adherence to dogmas, being deceived, or finding the details or arguments too complex to follow.
Cognitive Thoughtfulness:
We need to cultivate cognitive thoughtfulness so that people learn to enhance their reasoning skills, appreciate what constitutes a proper exchange of evidence and comments, and assess with confidence the reliability of diverse sources of information based on their track record in conducting cooperative enquiry.
Objectivity in Society:
We need socio-political actions to promote objectivity across communities to improve people’s awareness of the consequences of their behaviour, including the development of collaborative learning, critical reviews, and responsible communication.

[3] Citizen Participation
Our Decision-Making Involving Each Other:
If we are to take into account the feelings and reasons others have before we decide on any course of action that can affect them, we need to find meaningful ways to involve others in our decision-making. We would want to be so involved ourselves when others make decisions that affect us. This is the relationship fostered by citizen participation – at the heart of the culture of democracy.
The Problem of Imposition:
Some people may act irresponsibly because they would not factor in others’ concerns in their decisions as a result of their own impatience, arrogance, or incompetence in reaching out. There are others whose options for responsible action are much curtailed because they have been left with little control over their lives by more powerful people.
Volitional Thoughtfulness:
We need to cultivate volitional thoughtfulness, both to guide those overlooking the input from others to adopt a more inclusive mindset in seeking the views of those whose lives are affected by their decisions, and to help those with less power in society to expand their influence.
Power Balance in Society:
We need socio-political actions to secure better power balance across communities to ensure genuine mutual consideration is given when key decisions are made, including the development of participatory decision-making, civic parity, and public accountability.

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Guide to Further Reading

For more on the central ideas of Mutual Responsibility, Cooperative Enquiry, and Citizen Participation:
[a] an introduction to what they involve and their policy implications – Communitarianism: a new agenda for politics & citizenship: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Communitarianism-New-Agenda-Politics-Citizenship/dp/0814782361
[b] a historical account of how the related ideas and practices have developed over time – The Evolution of Communitarian Ideas: https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783030265571

For more on the educational and wider civic actions needed to promote responsible attitudes and behaviour:
[a] a summary of the ideas and practices related to Empathic Thoughtfulness, Cognitive Thoughtfulness, and Volitional Thoughtfulness – Political Literacy & Civic Thoughtfulness: https://www.centreforwelfarereform.org/library/political-literacy-civic-thoughtful.html
[b] an extensive examination of why and how we should pursue the socio-political objectives of Togetherness, Objectivity, and Power Balance – Time to Save Democracy: https://policypress.co.uk/time-to-save-democracy

For more on the nature of Responsibility, and the problems of Indifference, Ignorance, and Imposition:
[a] a critical examination of the criteria for ascribing responsibility – A Philosophical Study of the Criteria for Responsibility Ascriptions: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophical-Study-Criteria-Responsibility-Ascriptions/dp/0889467862
[b] a collection of essays (by a range of experts) on the obstacles to responsible behaviour – Punishment, Excuses & Moral Development: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Punishment-Excuses-Development-Avebury-Philosophy/dp/1859722601

For more on the effective approaches to advance responsible collective action through Citizen Participation:
[a] a collection of essays (by leading academics and practitioners) on how to improve state-citizen cooperation – Whose Government is it: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/whose-government-is-it
[b] a guide to the resources available to raise understanding of the value and practical application of citizen participation – Together We Can Resource Guide: https://hbtam.blogspot.com/2019/07/together-we-can-resource-guide.html

For more on the socio-political barriers to responsible behaviour:
[a] a collection of essays dealing with philosophical arguments as well as practical policy issues relating to the Problem of Ignorance – What Should Citizens Believe: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Should-Citizens-Believe-Exploring/dp/1548183105
[b] a short global history on the undermining of Power Balance in society and how it could be tackled – Against Power Inequalities: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Against-Power-Inequalities-progressive-struggle-ebook/dp/B00RQQYA5M/
[c] a collection of essays (by progressive writers) on the vision and policies that can steer us away from the threats of irresponsible diktats and exploitative arrangements – Progressive Politics in the Global Age: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Progressive-Politics-Global-Age-Henry/dp/0745625797

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For ‘The General Theory of Responsibility (part 1), go to: https://henry-tam.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-general-theory-of-responsibility.html
For ‘The General Theory of Responsibility (part 2), go to: https://henry-tam.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-general-theory-of-responsibility_11.html
For ‘The General Theory of Responsibility (part 3), go to: https://henry-tam.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-general-theory-of-responsibility_21.html

Question the Powerful: Essays

Full Listing
Set out below is a complete list of the essays posted on the Question the Powerful blog. Click on the title to find out more. For a list of Henry Tam’s key writings (books and articles) published elsewhere, see ‘Henry Tam: Bibliography'.

No. 296 The Scientific v the Arbitrary
No. 295 Skin-Tone Negativity Syndrome (STNS)
No. 294 Left Without Words
No. 293 Priority One: Political Power
No. 292 The General Theory of Responsibility (part 3)
No. 291 The General Theory of Responsibility (part 2)
No. 290 The General Theory of Responsibility (part 1)
No. 289 The Impact of Communitarian Empowerment
No. 288 3 Steps to Democratic Consensus
No. 287 The Case for Regulation is Going Viral
No. 286 The Five-A-Side Model for Electing National Leaders
No. 285 The Toxic Spread of Authoritarian Intimidation
No. 284 Brexit Blues
No. 283 A Smokescreen called ‘Politically Motivated’
No. 282 The Path of Thoughtfulness
No. 281 Lessons for Democrats
No. 280 Remember, Remember, Vote Them Out in December: here’s a 10-point reminder
No. 279 Question Boris Johnson: an election special
No. 278 Proud to be Open-Minded
No. 277 The Politics of Saints & Sinners
No. 276 You Say You Want a Constitution
No. 275 Shameless Subversion: Con politics explained
No. 274 Where is the Jobs Manifesto?
No. 273 The Art of Political Criticism: an educator’s guide
No. 272 The Stoic-Epicurean Resolution
No. 271 What to do about Manipulative Authoritarianism?
No. 270 Key Lessons on Power Inequality
No. 269 Humpty Dumpty’s ‘Democracy’
No. 268 Ask Grayling: the politics of chaos
No. 267 Cooperation First: a new educational focus
No. 266 The Politics of Reckless Endangerment
No. 265 Policies for Renewing State-Citizen Cooperation
No. 264 Fool’s Paradise: the ultimate political resort
No. 263 Carry On Brexit
No. 262 The Politics of Forgivableness
No. 261 Con Politics & its 6 core tricks
No. 260 The War & Refugees Tax Programme
No. 259 Licence to Bill
No. 258 The Unholy Alliance
No. 257 Five Categories of Irresponsible Communication
No. 256 Mistaken Group Identity
No. 255 Democracy & the 2016 Referendum
No. 254 In Defence of Cooperative Communities: 7 points to note
No. 253 Four Threats of the Counter-Enlightenment
No. 252 How to Mind the Money Gap
No. 251 Democritus: an agreeable hypothesis about everything

No. 250 The Most Important Ideas to Teach
No. 249 The Xenophobic Curse: how the Right keeps getting it Wrong
No. 248 Neo-Humans & Sub-Humans
No. 247 Patriotism Subverted: Putin’s Strategy to Destabilise the West
No. 246 Big Egos, Small Print, & Zero Accountability
No. 245 Exposing the Affordability Con
No. 244 The Political Wing of Bad Business
No. 243 What Should Citizens Believe
No. 242: Society’s Identity Crisis (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 241: The Real Political Divide (Progressive Ethos)
No. 240: The Brexit Con (Brexit)
No. 239: The ‘Public Money Protection’ Act (Economics)
No. 238: Democracy on Life Support (Democracy)
No. 237: The Cooperators’ Dilemma (Cooperative Development)
No. 236: Four Deities & a Humanist (Ethics)
No. 235: What Voters Want (Democracy)
No. 234: Paradigm Lost (Progressive Ethos)
No. 233: Snakes on Power Ladders (Ethics)
No. 232: Unhappy Ending: the politics of secession (Global Politics)
No. 231: Exposing the Affinity Myth (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 230: What do we mean by ‘Civic Engagement’? (Community Empowerment)
No. 229: Cooperation: A New Order of Life? (Book review: ‘Victorian Agitator – George Holyoake: co-operation as this new order of life’, by Stephen Yeo)
No. 228: Tech’gemony: the crisis of human redundancy (Economics)
No. 227: Performance Enhancement & Fair Competition (Ethics)
No. 226: The Will of the People? (Democracy)
No. 225: Impartiality or Bias in Politics (Education)
No. 224: The Importance of Being English (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 223: Isn’t Profit a Tax on Workers? (Economics)
No. 222: From Russia with Brexit & Trump (Global Politics)
No. 221: National Alliance for Brexit (Brexit)
No. 220: Gambling with the UK’s Future (Brexit)
No. 219: The Rules-Freedom Symbiosis (Democracy)
No. 218: Left, Right, or Optimal? (Electoral Politics)
No. 217: To Share or Not To Share (Economics)
No. 216: 5 Simple Security Tests (Global Politics)
No. 215: The Art of Not Playing God (Ethics)
No. 214: Nationalism of the Puppet Kind (Con Politics)
No. 213: The Business of Advancing Values (Cooperative Development)
No. 212: Attlee & Bread (Progressive Ethos)
No. 211: The Cult of Thoughtlessness (Political Education)
No. 210: The Livelihood Challenge: 10 actions to consider (Economics)
No. 209: 2017: a precarious jobs odyssey (Electoral Politics)
No. 208: Three Wise Memos (Progressive Ethos)
No. 207: How Anger Trumps Anxiety (Electoral Politics)
No. 206: The Brexit-Trump Regression (Con Politics)
No. 205: Dr. Frankenstein, I presume (Con Politics)
No. 204: The Pathology of Marginalisation (Power Inequality)
No. 203: ‘Gains’, ‘Losses’, & Real Value (Economics)
No. 202: The Vote is Not Enough (Democracy)
No. 201: Automation, Immigration, & Civic Remuneration (Economics)

No.200: Give Collaborative Leadership a Try (Cooperative development)
No.199: The Politics of Deranged Generalisation (Con politics)
No.198: Keeping the Con in ‘e-CON-omics’ (Economics)
No.197: Dis-United Kingdom: 10 issues to watch (Democracy)
No.196: The Lawbreaker’s Mask (Con politics)
No.195: Education, Society & the Cooperative Gestalt (Education)
No.194: The Thoughtful Guide to Political Types (Electoral politics)
No.193: Terminate the Machines? (Economics)
No.192: 10 Ways to Subvert Legality (Power inequality)
No.191: Only Fools & Porsches (Con politics)
No.190: Moral Relativism & the Empathy Scale (Ethics)
No.189: A Strategy for Cooperators (Cooperative development)
No.188: There’s Something About Capitalism (Economics)
No.187: The Politics of Anti-Rationality (Con politics)
No.186: Flag, Freedom, & Family ... (Electoral politics)
No.185: Goodbye Utopia, Hello Synetopia (Progressive ethos)
No.184: Political Education with a Twist (Education)
No.183: Snide & Prejudiced: a tale of constitutional shenanigans (Con politics)
No.182: The ‘All-or-Nothing Fallacy’ of Polarised Politics (Democracy)
No.181: Synetopia: progress through cooperation (Progressive ethos)
No.180: Let’s Come Clean about Nuclear Waste (Environment & Energy)
No.179: Nietzsche, all too Nietzsche (Ethics)
No.178: Journey to the Real Centre of Politics (Progressive ethos)
No.177: Convert or Con Victim? (Con politics)
No.176: Plutocracy: a lesson for citizen education (Power inequality)
No.175: O Humanities, Where Art Thou? (Education)
No.174: The Public-Private Divide (Con politics)
No.173: Lifelong Learning & Everyday Governance (Education)
No.172: Left at the Identity Checkpoint (Progressive ethos)
No.171: Democracy at the Workplace (Cooperative development)
No.170: The Meaning of ‘Pro-Business’ (Con politics)
No.169: Money Can Buy You Votes (Electoral politics)
No.168: Remember: Together We Can (Solidarity & Diversity)
No.167: What’s in a Vote (Electoral Politics)
No.166: Thatcher, Europe & Referendum (Democracy)
No.165: Invasion of the Power Snatchers (Power Inequality)
No.164: Cooperation Unbound: a new model for democratic education (Education)
No.163: Politics & the Cooperative Gestalt (Cooperative development)
No.162: We are Spartacus – We are Syriza (Economics)
No.161: Davos’ Inferno (Power inequality [Satire])
No.160: Debunking Culture War (Progressive ethos)
No.159: Politics: what is it good for? (Education)
No.158: The Voter Vanishes (Democracy)
No.157: Between the Buddha & Camus (Progressive ethos)
No.156: The Con Identity (Con politics)
No.155: The Meekest Link (Cooperative development)
No.154: Revolution for Beginners (Democracy)
No.153: Six Degrees of Cooperation (Cooperative development)
No.152 The National Safety Fund explained (Welfare & Healthcare)
No.151: Experimentally Seeking Progress (Progressive ethos)

No.150: Keeping Democracy on its Toes
[interview with Jessica Crowe, Executive Director of the Centre for Public Scrutiny] (Democracy)
No.149: Question the Powerful: the political education project (Education)
No.148: QTP Resources for Political Education (Education)
No.147: We Are What We Eat [book review of Incredible! Plant Veg, Grow a Revolution: the story of Incredible Edible Todmorden, by Pam Warhurst and Joanna Dobson] (Community empowerment)
No.146: Politically ‘Incorrect’ or Morally Repugnant (Progressive ethos)
No.145: Cooperation Denial (Cooperative development)
No.144: Scapegoats United (Welfare & Healthcare)
No.143: In Solidarity or In Solitary (Global politics)
No.142: The Crook, the Bees, their Hive & its Haters [a fable] (Power inequality [Satire])
No.141: All Quiet on the Voting Front? (Electoral politics)
No.140: Rethinking Education [interview with Diane Reay, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge] (Education)
No.139: A History of the World in 500 words (Power inequality)
No.138: The Art of Exposing Emperors (Education)
No.137: Time for a Cooperative Government (Cooperative development)
No.136: Anarchy: Daydreams & Nightmares (Democracy)
No.135: Politics for Outsiders: an educational mission (Education)
No.134: Chinese Pride or Western Prejudice [book review of Chinese Whispers: why everything you heard about China is wrong by Ben Chu] (Global politics)
No.133: ‘Question the Powerful’: quincentenary of the 1514 watershed (Progressive ethos)
No.132: The Author Formerly Hated for ‘The Prince’ (Progressive ethos)
No.131: The Art of Nurturing Communities [book review of Community Research for Community Development, ed. by M. Mayo, Z. Mediwelso-Bendek, & C. Packham] (Community empowerment)
No.130: Who Needs Capability Assessment? (Welfare & Healthcare)
No.129: The Cooperative Gestalt (Cooperative development)
No.128: The Economics of Disability (Economics)
No.127: Who’s Afraid of Political Education? (Education)
No.126: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Syria? (Global politics)
No.125: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Teacher (Education)
No.124: The Reciprocity Test: Pros & Cons (Progressive ethos)
No.123: Bouncers for Cyber Clubs? (Freedom of speech and belief)
No.122: Downturn Abbey (Power inequality [Satire])
No.121: Anti-Social Enterprise (Con politics)
No.120: Oppose the War on Welfare (Welfare & Healthcare)
No.119: Chartist No. 6: the call for annual elections (Democracy)
No.118: Whose Money Is It Anyway? (Economics)
No.117: The Greed Tyranny (Con politics)
No.116: The ATOS Inquisition (Welfare & Healthcare)
No.115: Don’t Know Much About Politics? (Democracy)
No.114: Community Development at the Crossroads (Community empowerment)
No.113: The Power Hypothesis (Power inequality)
No.112: Communitarianism Revisited [co-written with Jonathan Boswell] (Progressive ethos)
No.111: No, Minister (Democracy)
No.110: Leave No One Behind (Progressive ethos)
No.109: Like to Teach the World to Vote? (Education)
No.108: Who’s Afraid of Father Christmas (Power inequality [Satire])
No.107: Tune into UN 194: the Sound of a Beautiful Resistance (Global politics)
No.106: Dreaming of a Dark Christmas (Education)
No.105: The Biggest Co-op of All (Cooperative development)
No.104: A Bomb for an Eye (Global politics)
No.103: The Crude, the Mad & the Ugly (Con politics)
No.102: A Message to America [from FDR] (Electoral politics)
No.101: The Powerful Can’t Hide [guest post by Ann Walker] (Power inequality)

No.100: Cooperative Problem-Solving: the key to a reciprocal society (Cooperative development)
No. 99: Who are the Wealth Creators? (Economics)
No. 98: Help Us Question the Powerful (Democracy)
No. 97: Unsure about the Start Our Children Get? (Family policy)
No. 96: Political OCD: is there a cure? (Con politics)
No. 95: The Targeting of ‘Troubled Families’ (Family policy)
No. 94: Your Power, Your Government (Democracy)
No. 93: Can the NHS Stay in the Race? (Welfare & Healthcare)
No. 92: Pyramid Hockey (Power inequality)
No. 91: Democracy’s Debt to Young People (Democracy)
No. 90: What kind of people are we? (Progressive ethos)
No. 89: Kuan’s Wonderland: a political fable (Education)
No. 88: Friends, Romans, Lend Me Your Euros (Economics)
No. 87: The Case for Cooperative Problem-Solving (Cooperative development)
No. 86: Where Next for Criminal Justice? [book review of Where Next for Criminal Justice, by David Faulkner and Ros Burnett] (Criminal justice)
No. 85: The Free Speech Conundrum (Freedom of speech and belief)
No. 84: I’m Super-Rich, Get Me into the White House (Electoral politics [Satire])
No. 83: Much Ado About Cooperating (Cooperative development)
No. 82: The Department for Wealth (Con politics [Satire])
No. 81: Welcome to the Premier League of Education (Education)
No. 80: Re-enter the Dragon (Global politics)
No. 79: Educating Fodder (Education)
No. 78: Santa & the City (Xmas Special) (Power inequality [Satire])
No. 77: Can Democracy Be Saved? (Democracy)
No. 76: What Next for the WEA? (Education)
No. 75: Corporate Flu (Con politics [Satire])
No. 74: Debt or No Debt (Economics)
No. 73: The Politics of Cultural Inclinations (Progressive ethos)
No. 72: Poor Circulation and Economic Disorder (Economics)
No. 71: The Lopsided Playing Field Power inequality)
No. 70: The Eton Redemption (Con politics [Satire])
No. 69: The Know-Nothing Executives (Democracy)
No. 68: The Nasty Media (Media)
No. 67: The Big Con (Con politics)
No. 66: A Tale of Two Strategies (Electoral politics)
No. 65: Left Disorientated? (Progressive ethos)
No. 64: The Joker to the Right (Con politics)
No. 63: Royal Family Values: a historical fact sheet (Power inequality)
No. 62: Memento Tory (Con politics)
No. 61: 68 places to change the Government’s mind (Electoral politics)
No. 60: From Wisconsin, With Love (Con politics [Satire])
No. 59: The Murdoch Empire Strikes Back (Media)
No. 58: SOS: Save Our NHS (Welfare & Healthcare)
No. 57: Beyond the Matrix (Con politics)
No. 56: Our Bacon Needs Saving (Progressive ethos)
No. 55: Deep Freeze Alert (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 54: An Interview with ‘Father Christmas’ (Power inequality [Satire])
No. 53: On Strikers & Own Goals (Unions)
No. 52: Paint it Red (Con politics [Satire])
No. 51: Anger Mismanagement (Con politics)

No. 50: Another Coup on Animal Farm (Con politics [Satire])
No. 49: Against Power Inequalities (Power inequality)
No. 48: A Mad Tea Party’s Brewing (Con politics)
No. 47: The Ultimate Horror Show (Con politics)
No. 46: In Praise of Mo Tze (墨子) (Progressive ethos)
No. 45: Ever Tried Homeopathic Democracy? (Democracy)
No. 44: Begging the Charity Question (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 43: The Denial Industry (Con politics)
No. 42: Mill, Dewey & Me (Progressive ethos)
No. 41: A Simple Equation (Power inequality)
No. 40: Interdependence Day (Global politics)
No. 39: The Fox & the BBC (Media)
No. 38: An Alliance to Promote Democracy (Democracy)
No. 37: Some Like it Thick (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 36: Pride & Tiananmen (Global politics)
No. 35: Know Thy Goal (Progressive ethos)
No. 34: King John’s Lesson for the G20 (Global politics)
No. 33: Powerlessness can damage your health (Power inequality)
No. 32: Year of the Invisible Ox (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 31: Unite or Perish (Global politics)
No. 30: The Pension Pirates (Con politics)
No. 29: The Anatomy of Change (Con politics)
No. 28: Axis of Stupidity (Con politics)
No. 27: The Freedom to Crash (Economics)
No. 26: Talk about Slavery (Power inequality)
No. 25: Thou Shall Make Money (Con politics)
No. 24: The Gene Code Lottery (Power inequality)
No. 23: The S Word (Democracy)
No. 22: The Good, the Bad and the Foreign (Progressive ethos)
No. 21: Between Nader and the Plastic Sea (Electoral politics)
No. 20: The Minorities Myth (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 19: Wheat from the Chav (Con politics)
No. 18: Where’s our American vote? (Global politics)
No. 17: Let them eat bullets (Welfare & Healthcare)
No. 16: The Alpha Male Syndrome (Power inequality)
No. 15: Variations on a theme of ransom (Unions)
No. 14: The Crisis of Civic Disengagement (Democracy)
No. 13: What’s wrong with being all-powerful? (Power inequality)
No. 12: Together We Can (Community empowerment)
No. 11: Long live the Con (Con politics)
No. 10: Give restorative justice a chance (Criminal justice)
No. 9: Weapons of mass confusion (Global politics)
No. 8: Of frogs and men (Environment & Energy)
No. 7: What exactly is pro-family? (Family policy)
No. 6: Why single out the freedom of discussion (Freedom of speech and belief)
No. 5: Belief is not enough (Freedom of speech and belief)
No. 4: Who’s against the Enlightenment? (Progressive Ethos)
No. 3: Aren’t they all Human Values? (Solidarity & Diversity)
No. 2: Why tolerate the Power Gap? (Power inequality)
No. 1: Is Redemption Possible? (Ethics)

The QTP (Question the Powerful) Talks Series

• ‘How Can We Rebuild Trust in Democracy', Better Way event, 24/03/20 [QTP 123]
• ‘Deliberative Solutions for Complex Problems', Newham Democracy Commission, 25/11/19 [QTP 122]
• ‘Democracy: Key Threats & Potential Remedies’, at the Take Part event on 'Active Citizenship in the crisis of Democracy', 19/11/19 [QTP 121]
• ‘Making Democracy Real', at the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust's event, 'Shifting Power: Participation, Political Equality and Democracy', 17/7/19 [QTP 120]
• ‘Whose Government is it?', event at House of Lords to mark the publication of the book, 9/7/19 [QTP 119]
• ‘The Problem of Manipulative Authoritarianism', Robert Bosch Stiftung symposium with members of the Bundestag (Germany), held in Sofia, Bulgaria, 17/4/19 [QTP 118]
• ‘Cooperation Works: citizenship, cohesion and the skills agenda’, WEA (Eastern Region), Cambridge, 3/11/18 [QTP 117]
• ‘Dysfunctional Communities: Causes & Remedies’, London Leaders Programme, London Councils, 13/9/18 [QTP 116]
• ‘Succeeding through Collaborative Leadership’, Ministry of Defence, 9/5/18 [QTP 115]
• ‘Public Policy & the State of Democracy’, Cambridge University’s Centre for Science & Policy, Fellows Seminar, Cabinet Office, London, 18/4/18 [QTP 114]
• ‘Civic Engagement and Integration’, House of Lords, 29/11/17 [QTP 113]
• ‘Organisational Storytelling’, Civil Service College, 25-26/10/17 [QTP 112]
• 'Reimagining Your Future', Newham College, London, 6/3/17 [QTP 111]
• 'Getting the Best from People', workshop with the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Bristol, 14/2/17 [QTP 110]
• ‘Civic Engagement’, presentation to La Ligue de L’enseignement, Cambridge, 8/11/16 [QTP 109]
• ‘Taking Control of Our Lives’, Cambridge Commons, 1/10/16 [QTP 108]
• ‘Power, Reason & Social Purpose; the critical role of adult education’, WEA tutors conference, Cambridge, 27/5/16 [QTP 107]
• ‘Collaborative Leadership’, Northern Ireland Civil Service, Belfast, 4/5/16 [QTP 106]
• ‘A Recipe for Work, Life & Everything?’, Workers Educational Association, Cambridge, 2/4/16 [QTP 105]
• ‘The ‘Together We Can’ case study’, Civil Service College, 17/3/16 [QTP 104]
• ‘Commoning, Governments, & Cooperation’, at the Commons Strategies Group & Heinrich Boll Foundation event, ‘State Power and the Commons: Transcending a Problematic Relationship’, Germany, 29/2/16 [QTP 103]
• ‘Together We Can: Public Leadership', talk given to delegation of Indian Government's senior civil servants, 18/9/15 [QTP 102]
• ‘God, Goodness, & Great Britain’, address at the Suffolk Interfaith Resource/East of England Faith Agency conference on Human Rights, Religious Rights, and British Values, West Suffolk College, Bury St Edmunds, 9/7/15 [QTP 101]
• ‘Politics: what is it good for?’, a series of days schools with the WEA across the East of England (from Cambridge to Norwich) 28/2/15 – 25/4/15. [QTP 100]
• 'Future of Democracy in Britain’, Trades Union Council, Wisbech & March, 21/3/15. [QTP 99]
• 'Collaborative Leadership’, Scottish Housing Regulator, 24/2/15. [QTP 98]
• 'Cooperation, Communities, & the Cambridge Commons’, Cooperative Party, Cambridge, 18/2/15. [QTP 97]
• 'Succeeding through Collaborative Leadership’, Civil Service College, 17/12/14. [QTP 96]
• 'Politics: so what are you going to do?’, the British Chinese Project, London: 29/11/14. [QTP 95]
• ‘Austerity & Scapegoat Politics’, University of the 3rd Age, Cambridge: 12/11/14. [QTP 94]
• ‘What has politics ever done for us?’, address at WEA (Eastern Region AGM): 8/11/14. [QTP 93]
• ‘Youth & Democracy’, presentation at ‘Round table on youth participation and impact in democratic decision-making’, World Forum for Democracy, Council of Europe, Strasbourg: 3/11/14. [QTP 92]
• ‘Democracy through the Looking Glass’, presentation to sixth formers, St Albans Girls’ School, Hertfordshire: 25/9/14. [QTP 91]
• ‘Managing Ministerial Expectations’, Civil Service College: 18/9/14. [QTP 90]
• ‘Thriving on Diversity’, Civil Service College: 9/9/14. [QTP 89]
• ‘The Art of Making Science Work’, Implementing Implementation Science conference, East London Consortium of Educational Psychologists, Cambridge: 28/7/14. [QTP 88]
• ‘Co-operation versus Con-Operation’, Annual Conference, Confederation of Cooperative Housing, Manchester: 11/7/14. [QTP 87]
• ‘Novel Exploration of Inequality’, Adult Learners Week, WEA East Midlands, Nottingham: 19/6/14. [QTP 86]
• ‘10 Things to Know About Machiavelli’, for the Documentary Film Makers Cooperative, London: 18/5/14. [QTP 85]
• ‘Government: 1974-2014’, 40 Years of Change, South Canonry, Salisbury Cathedral Close: 3/5/14. [QTP 84]
• ‘Aspiration, Aptitude, Availability', Careers Day address, University of Cambridge, 2/5/14. [QTP 83]
• ‘Why Vote’, WEA, Deciding Locally campaign, broadcast interview: 22/4/14. [QTP 82]
• ‘Leadership in Policy Development’, session for Indonesian delegation, Civil Service College, London: 20/3/14. [QTP 81]
• ‘Socialism and Education’, Lecture to PDDE (Politics, Development, & Democratic Education) Masters Students, University of Cambridge: 7/11/13. [QTP 80]
• ‘Enlightened Learning & the Cooperative Gestalt’, Power of Adult Learning, (joint conference by Learning Link Scotland, WEA Scotland, the Scottish Community Development Centre, Dyslexia Scotland, and Lead Scotland), University of Edinburgh: 23/10/13. [QTP 79]
• ‘Will this be the Plutocratic Century?’, CRASSH (Centre for Research in Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities), University of Cambridge: 13/5/13. [QTP 78]
• ‘Left with a Hard Choice’, Fabians & Cooperative Party event, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge: 7/5/13. [QTP 77]
• ‘Democracy: Lessons in Cooperative Problem-Solving’, Youth has Impact Conference, Field of Dialogue Foundation & Civis Polonus Foundation, Warsaw, Poland: 15/3/13. [QTP 76]
• ‘Cooperative Problem-Solving’, Take Part Network event What Next for Community-Based Learning, London: 6/3/13. [QTP 75]
• ‘Community Development at the Crossroads’, Keib Thomas Memorial Seminar, CDNL (Community Development Network, London), London Metropolitan University: 13/2/13. [QTP 74]
• ‘Education for Democracy: cooperative problem-solving’, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge: 12 &13 September/2012. [QTP 73]
• ‘Positive Change Through Social Action’, WEA Oxford: 18/5/12. [QTP 72]
• ‘Education with a Social Purpose’, WEA North East, Newcastle: 4/5/12. [QTP 71]
• ‘Whose Politics is it anyway?’, Chinese for Labour, London: 29/2/12. [QTP 70]
• ‘An Insider Look at Public Policy Development’, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge: 1/2/12. [QTP 69]
• ‘Reciprocity Lost: the origins, breakdown and renewal of reciprocal society’, WEA bi-annual conference, Nottingham University, Nottingham: 29/10/11. [QTP 68]
• ‘Democratic Participation and Learning Leadership’, Challenges of Civic Participation conference at the Sociology Institute, University of Warsaw, Poland: 15/4/11. [QTP 67]
• ‘Take Part in Changing Times’, Take Part Conference, London: 9/2/11. [QTP 66]
• ‘Top Ten Myths about Empowerment’, Faith Communities: Empowering Communities, the Church Action on Poverty National Conference, Broxbourne: 3/3/09. [QTP 65]
• ‘Empowerment in Britain’, session for delegation from South Africa, National School of Government, London: 11/2/09. [QTP 64]
• ‘Together We Can tackle the power gap’, The Frontiers of Innovation Conference: 20 Years of Innovation in Government, the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, University of Harvard, USA: 1/4/08. [QTP 63]
• ‘Citizen Engagement’, Public Engagement in Local Government: Empowering Citizens to shape their Communities, CAPITA conference, London: 6/11/08. [QTP 62]
• ‘Faith & Cohesion’, Religion & Community Cohesion Workshop, Dept of Politics & International Relations, Royal Holloway College, University of London: 18/6/08. [QTP 61]
• ‘Learning from Communities’, IDeA sponsored conference on Community Consultation, 28/6/07. [QTP 60]
• ‘BBC and community empowerment’, presentation to BBC news editors, convened by Kevin Marsh (Editor of the Today Programme), London: 21/2/06. [QTP 59]
• ‘Re-engaging your community’, LGC (Local Government Chronicle) conference, London: 21/2/06. [QTP 58]
• ‘Building Stronger Communities’, NLGN/IDeA conference, London: 2/2/06. [QTP 57]
• ‘Community Engagement’, CPPS seminar, London: 26/1/06. [QTP 56]
• ‘Identity, Ethnic Diversity and Community Cohesion’, Runnymede & ESRC Identities Programme Roundtable, London: 21/9/05. [QTP 55]
• ‘Making Community Engagement a Priority in Citizenship Education’, joint DfES/Home Office seminar with Ministers, London: 15/6/05. [QTP 54]
• ‘The Politics of Civic Anxiety’, public seminar, the Centre for Advanced Study of the Social Sciences, University of Oxford: 18/5/05. [QTP 53]
• ‘Civil Renewal: Together We Can’, Joseph Chamberlain Lecture, Birmingham: 21/4/05. [QTP 52]
• ‘Neighbourhood Governance’, Fabian Society, LGIU, UNISON Policy Seminar, London: 10/2/05. [QTP 51]
• ‘Local Government and Civil Renewal’, CPPS conference on the future of local government, London: 14/12/04. [QTP 50]
• ‘Together We Can’, conference on community engagement and civil renewal with Home Secretary & other Ministers, London: 8/12/04. [QTP 49]
• ‘Civic Pioneers’, Home Office launch event, Birmingham: 9/9/04. [QTP 48]
• ‘The Role of Civil Renewal’, CLES Inclusive Regeneration Summer School, Manchester: 29/6/04. [QTP 47]
• ‘Higher Education and Community Partnerships’, the Annual Higher Education and Community Partnership Conference, University of London: 19/5/04. [QTP 46]
• ‘Civil Renewal: in theory & practice’, South West Regional Seminar, University of Plymouth: 13/5/04. [QTP 45]
• ‘Civil Renewal’, seminar with Home Secretary and the Home Office Ministerial team, London: 17/12/03. [QTP 44]
• ‘Power and Civil Renewal’, Urban Forum Annual Conference, London: 2/12/03. [QTP 43]
• ‘Communitarian Democracy’, Bertelsmann Stiftung, International Workshop on Participative Democracy, Berlin: 16/10/03. [QTP 42]
• ‘The Future of Community Development’, 21st Century Community Development conference, the Standing Conference for Community Development, Lougborough: 11/10/03. [QTP 41]
• ‘Social Democracy in the Global Age’, Fabian Society Roundtable: 21/5/02. [QTP 40]
• ‘Delivering Crime Reduction’, Ministerial Seminar, the Home Office, Queen Anne’s Gate, London: 9/1/02. [QTP 39]
• ‘Equality & Diversity’, launch of the Black & Minority Ethnic Network (East of England), Cambridge: 9/4/01. [QTP 38]
• ‘Tackling Crime Together’, Home Office Conference with the Home Secretary, Cambridge: 17/2/01. [QTP 37]
• ‘Crime Reduction’, national public policy seminar, London: 18/1/01. [QTP 36]
• ‘Citizenship at the community level’, Philosophical Quarterly conference, Citizens: Towards a Citizens Culture: 13/11/00. [QTP 35]
• ‘Forging a New Ireland: a communitarian approach to deepening democracy’, the Glencree Centre for Reconciliation, Summer School, Forging a Communitarian Ireland: The deepening of democracy and civil society, Ireland: 25/8/00. [QTP 34]
• ‘Inclusive communities and global governance’, 12th Annual Conference of the Society for Socio-Economics, London School of Economics: 8/7/00. [QTP 33]
• ‘Is there a Third Way to bridge Divided Communities?’, Citizens OnLine Conference, BAFTA, London: 23/5/00. [QTP 32]
• ‘What are Communities?’, Society for Applied Philosophy, Are Cities Communities? Workshop, Senate House, University of London: 4/3/00. [QTP 31]
• ‘What is Consultation about?’, Joined Up Listening conference, West Midlands Local Government Association: 24/11/99. [QTP 30]
• ‘The Progressive Path to Inclusive Communities’, the School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham: 23/11/99. [QTP 29]
• 'Inclusive Communities', United Nations Association Conference, The Making of the Third Millennium, St Edmundsbury Cathedral: 15/6/99. [QTP 28]
• 'Citizenship Education: communitarian versus individualist perspectives', Philosophy & Education Renewal Group, University of North London: 15/5/99. [QTP 27]
• 'Communitarianism, Power & Citizenship', Communitarian Summit, Washington, USA: 27/2/99. [QTP 26]
• 'Are there common values to be taught?', International CSV Learning and Serving Together Conference: 4/12/97. [QTP 25]
• 'The Future of Social and Moral Education', Communitarian Forum Workshop, St Edmunds College, Cambridge: 26/4/97. [QTP 24]
• 'Communitarian Politics: Past, Present & Future', Joint Conference for St John's and St Anne's, University of Oxford: 20/2/97. [QTP 23]
• 'Education for Citizens', seminar, the Philosophy of Education Society meeting, Cambridge: 30/1/97. [QTP 22]
• 'Democratic Schools', CSV Education Conference, Service Learning: 12/11/96. [QTP 21]
• 'Communitarian Management', the UK Management Development Network Seminar, London: 23/10/96. [QTP 20]
• 'Communitarianism', the Cambridge World Issues Group: 31/7/96. [QTP 19]
• 'Communitarianism & Humanism', the South Place Ethical Society: 14/1/96. [QTP 18]
• 'Communities, Communitarianism and Local Democracy', the ADC (Association of District Councils) Seminar on Community Governance: 15/12/95. [QTP 17]
• 'From Public-versus-Private to Communitarian Management', the Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge: 9/11/95. [QTP 16]
• 'From Markets to Communities', the Local Government Information Services, national conference, Bedfordshire: 21/8/95. [QTP 15]
• 'Communitarian Marketing', Anglia Business School, Cambridge: 29/6/95. [QTP 14]
• ‘Crime & Society’, the Society for Applied Philosophy's 1995 Conference: 19/5/95. [QTP 13]
• 'Public Health: from Customers to Citizens', 5th Annual Symposium of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Girton College, Cambridge: 31/3/95. [QTP 12]
• 'Interagency Charter', the Cabinet Office's Citizens Charter Conference: 5/12/94. [QTP 11]
• 'Marketing & the Public Sector', Oxford Brookes University's Business School Marketing Forum: 1/12/94. [QTP 10]
• ‘Citizens & Government Institutions’, national conference Cities of Pride: Rejuvenating Britain for the Third Millennium, Birmingham: 19/11/94. [QTP 9]
• 'Marketing & Competition in the Public Sector', the Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge: 8/11/94. [QTP 8]
• 'Criminals and Citizens: the Quest for Responsibility', the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Philosophy Group: 24/11/93. [QTP 7]
• 'Citizenship and Participatory Democracy', the Centre for Citizenship Development's Open Workshop, St. Edmund's College, University of Cambridge: 6/11/93. [QTP 6]
• 'Marketing and Citizenship in the Public Sector', Anglia Business School: 4/11/93. [QTP 5]
• 'Raising Ethical Awareness in Large Organisations', the Inaugural Meeting of the Ethical Business Forum, London Business School: 26/10/93. [QTP 4]
• 'The Rise of Communitarianism', the Centre for Citizenship Development seminar, St. Edmund's College, University of Cambridge: 16/10/93. [QTP 3]
• 'Crime & Diminished Responsibility', the Society for Applied Philosophy's London Workshop: 6/3/93. [QTP 2]
• 'The Core Values of Public Service', the School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham: 7/5/91. [QTP 1]