Topic Guides

Author: Kaja Molinksa INTRODUCTION Has the expectation of privacy become outdated? Over half the world’s population uses social media [Ref: Datareportal] and there are now many official ‘track and trace’ apps to combat coronavirus infections [Ref: The Atlantic]. Many today declare they are worried about privacy, but continue to use services that hoover up their data, a contradiction termed the …

Continue reading “In the digital age, we should not expect our online activities to remain private”

Author: Tom Collyer INTRODUCTION Since his brush with death due to Covid-19, Boris Johnson has apparently become a health enthusiast, putting his body’s reaction to the virus down to being ‘too fat’ [Ref: Guardian] and claiming to have lost at least a stone since his recovery [Ref: Express]. This episode seems to have informed his plans to …

Continue reading “Unhealthy lifestyles are not the business of government”

This topic guide is a companion to ‘Germany should pay reparations for its colonial past’ INTRODUCTION Although the issue of slave trade reparations has long been contentious, the 2020 US election has reinvigorated the debate [Ref: The Guardian] as Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives [Ref: NYTimes] and two potential presidential candidates, …

Continue reading “Britain should pay reparations for its colonial past”

INTRODUCTION In February 2019, the American photographer Nan Goldin threatened to boycott the UK’s National Portrait Gallery if it accepted a £1million donation from the Sackler fund, which was deemed controversial given the Sackler family’s connection to the opioid epidemic in the US [Ref: The Guardian]. Following this, in March, the Tate stopped accepting Sackler …

Continue reading “Corporate sponsorship is good for the arts”

INTRODUCTION In July 2019, Prince Harry announced that he and the Duchess of Sussex will not be having more than two children for environmental reasons [Source: New York Times]. Many praised the decision, especially following the creation by Blythe Pepino and Alice Brown of BirthStrike, ‘a voluntary organisation for women and men who have decided …

Continue reading “Climate Emergency: People should not have more than two children”

View a PDF version of this topic guide here. INTRODUCTION Across Europe, 2016 saw the lowest number of measles cases on record. Two years later, the number of cases, and deaths, were at their highest level for at least 15 years [REF: BMJ]. Declining vaccination rates are widely thought to be to blame. In response, …

Continue reading “Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory”

View a PDF version of this topic guide here. INTRODUCTION In November 2018, a report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron caused a debate when it concluded that French museums should return to Africa thousands of artefacts taken during colonialism [Ref: Financial Times] . The report’s authors were frank: continuing to hold such treasures amounts …

Continue reading “Western museums should repatriate cultural artefacts”

View a PDF version of this topic guide here. INTRODUCTION Tourism has traditionally been seen as a way of showing appreciation for different places, peoples and cultures, but mounting fears about the impact of mass tourism have led many to question whether tourists are actually ruining the places they love. A debate about the effects …

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INTRODUCTION The increasing ability of machines in recent years to replicate or even supersede human abilities in complex tasks has been impressive. Already, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have been used to allow machines to beat the best players in the world at both chess [Ref: Time] and the Chinese board game Go [Ref: Guardian]. IBM’s Watson system …

Continue reading “Humanity should fear advances in artificial intelligence”

View a PDF version of this topic guide here. INTRODUCTION Populism is the political buzzword of the day – with commentators, political theorists and politicians all debating its meaning and the merits of its apparent rise in recent years. From the election of Donald Trump in America [Ref: Guardian], and the rise of Marine Le Pen …

Continue reading “Populism is a threat to democracy”