The Sunday Times Bestseller A new assessment of the West’s colonial record In the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet empire in 1989, many believed that we had arrived at the ‘End of History’ – that the global dominance of liberal democracy had been secured forever.
Against the domination of moral deliberation by rights-talk In Defence of War asserts that belligerency can be morally justified, even while it is tragic and morally flawed. Recovering the early Christian tradition of just war thinking, Nigel Biggar argues in favour of aggressive war in punishment of grave injustice.
Against the domination of moral deliberation by rights-talk, 'In Defence of War' asserts that belligerency can be morally justified, even while it is tragic and morally flawed. Recovering the early Christian tradition of just war thinking Nigel Biggar argues in favour of aggressive war in punishment of grave injustice.
Too often, says Nigel Biggar, contemporary Christian ethics poses a false choice either conservative theological integrity or liberal secular consensus. Behaving in Public explains both why and how Christians should resist these polar options. Informed by a frankly Christian theological vision of moral life and so turning toward the world with openness and curiosity, Biggar s succinct argument charts a third way forward. Common sense is usually bland and boring. Nigel Biggar s book Behaving in Public, however, is full of common sense that is anything but bland and boring. That s because Biggar employs his common sense polemically to show what s deficient in one and another position on speaking as a Christian in public, and to point to alternatives. Over and over I found myself saying, Yes, of course; he s right. This is a wonderfully fresh, perceptive, and sensible discussion. Nicholas Wolterstorff Yale University How can the church witness effectively in public debates in modern, mostly secular societies, without either losing its integrity or imposing its perspectives on others? In this important new book Nigel Biggar maintains that the integrity of the Christian message should not be confused with distinctiveness. . . . Offers a nuanced yet demanding position on the public role of the church, cutting through unhelpful dichotomies and reminding us that theological seriousness need not be sectarian or intolerant. Jean Porter University of Notre Dame Clear in thought, elegant in expression, and generous in dialogue, this book offers a new and convincing approach to Christian ethics. . . . Biggar argues for the integrity of a mature, discriminating, nonmoralizing Christian ethics which is inspired and equipped for critical engagement with the church and the wider public and which cares about the flourishing of both. Werner G. Jeanrond University of Glasgow Behaving in Public shows people who care about public life how to combine theological integrity and political effectiveness. . . . This is a theology that offers an alternative to today s polarized politics. Robin W. Lovin Southern Methodist University
The nation-state is here to stay. Thirty years ago it was fashionable to predict its imminent demise, but the sudden break-up of the Soviet Union in the 1990s unshackled long-repressed nationalisms and generated a host of new states. The closer integration of the European Union has given intra-national nationalisms a new lease of life, confirming the viability of small nation-states under a supra-national umbrella - after all, if Ireland and Iceland, then why not Scotland and Catalonia? And then the world stage has seen new and powerful national players moving from the wings to the centre: China, India, and Brazil are full of a sense of growing into their own national destinies and are in no mood either to dissolve into, or to defer to, some larger body.Nations, nationalisms, and nation-states are persistent facts, but what should we think of them morally? Surely humanity, not a nation, should claim our loyalty? How can it be right to exclude foreigners by policing borders? Can a liberal nation-state thrive without a cohering public orthodoxy? Does national sovereignty confer immunity? Is national separatism always justified? These are urgent questions. Between Kin and Cosmopolis offers timely Christian answers.
Are natural rights 'nonsense on stilts', as Jeremy Bentham memorably put it? Must the very notion of a right be individualistic, subverting the common good? Should the right against torture be absolute, even though the heavens fall? Are human rights universal or merely expressions of Western neo-imperial arrogance? Are rights ethically fundamental, proudly impervious to changing circumstances? Should judges strive to extend the reach of rights from civil Hamburg to anarchical Basra? Should judicial oligarchies, rather than legislatures, decide controversial ethical issues by inventing novel rights? Ought human rights advocates learn greater sympathy for the dilemmas facing those burdened with government? These are the questions that What's Wrong with Rights? addresses. In doing so, it draws upon resources in intellectual history, legal philosophy, moral philosophy, moral theology, human rights literature, and the judgments of courts. It ranges from debates about property in medieval Christendom, through Confucian rights-scepticism, to contemporary discussions about the remedy for global hunger and the justification of killing. And it straddles assisted dying in Canada, the military occupation of Iraq, and genocide in Rwanda. What's Wrong with Rights? concludes that much contemporary rights-talk obscures the importance of fostering civic virtue, corrodes military effectiveness, subverts the democratic legitimacy of law, proliferates publicly onerous rights, and undermines their authority and credibility. The solution to these problems lies in the abandonment of rights-fundamentalism and the recovery of a richer public discourse about ethics, one that includes talk about the duty and virtue of rights-holders.
Are natural rights 'nonsense on stilts', as Jeremy Bentham memorably put it? Must the very notion of a right be individualistic, subverting the common good? Should the right against torture be absolute, even though the heavens fall? Are human rights universal or merely expressions of Western neo-imperial arrogance? Are rights ethically fundamental, proudly impervious to changing circumstances? Should judges strive to extend the reach of rights from civil Hamburg to anarchical Basra? Should judicial oligarchies, rather than legislatures, decide controversial ethical issues by inventing novel rights? Ought human rights advocates learn greater sympathy for the dilemmas facing those burdened with government? These are the questions that What's Wrong with Rights? addresses. In doing so, it draws upon resources in intellectual history, legal philosophy, moral philosophy, moral theology, human rights literature, and the judgments of courts. It ranges from debates about property in medieval Christendom, through Confucian rights-scepticism, to contemporary discussions about the remedy for global hunger and the justification of killing. And it straddles assisted dying in Canada, the military occupation of Iraq, and genocide in Rwanda. What's Wrong with Rights? concludes that much contemporary rights-talk obscures the importance of fostering civic virtue, corrodes military effectiveness, subverts the democratic legitimacy of law, proliferates publicly onerous rights, and undermines their authority and credibility. The solution to these problems lies in the abandonment of rights-fundamentalism and the recovery of a richer public discourse about ethics, one that includes talk about the duty and virtue of rights-holders.
The nation-state is here to stay. Thirty years ago it was fashionable to predict its imminent demise, but the sudden break-up of the Soviet Union in the 1990s unshackled long-repressed nationalisms and generated a host of new states. The closer integration of the European Union has given intra-national nationalisms a new lease of life, confirming the viability of small nation-states under a supra-national umbrella - after all, if Ireland and Iceland, then why not Scotland and Catalonia? And then the world stage has seen new and powerful national players moving from the wings to the centre: China, India, and Brazil are full of a sense of growing into their own national destinies and are in no mood either to dissolve into, or to defer to, some larger body.Nations, nationalisms, and nation-states are persistent facts, but what should we think of them morally? Surely humanity, not a nation, should claim our loyalty? How can it be right to exclude foreigners by policing borders? Can a liberal nation-state thrive without a cohering public orthodoxy? Does national sovereignty confer immunity? Is national separatism always justified? These are urgent questions. Between Kin and Cosmopolis offers timely Christian answers.
Pacifism is popular. Many hold that war is unnecessary, since peaceful means of resolving conflict are always available, if only we had the will to look for them. Or they believe that war is wicked, essentially involving hatred of the enemy and carelessness of human life. Or they posit the absolute right of innocent individuals not to be deliberately killed, making it impossible to justify war in practice. Peace, however, is not simple. Peace for some can leave others at peace to perpetrate mass atrocity. What was peace for the West in 1994 was not peace for the Tutsis of Rwanda. Therefore, against the virus of wishful thinking, anti-military caricature, and the domination of moral deliberation by rights-talk In Defence of War asserts that belligerency can be morally justified, even though tragic and morally flawed.
A comprehensive guide to P. G. Wodehouse's two best-loved comic characters, Bertram Wilbeforce Wooster and his valet ('Reggie') Jeeves, Bertie's friends and relatives and their world of sunshine, country houses and champagne. Although the stories may seem quintessentially English, they were for the most part written in the United States by a man who spent more than half his adult life there, eventually becoming a citizen in 1955. The first stories involving the two characters are even set in New York, while those that aren't are set in an England that has never existed, contrived to appeal to an American audience. Cawthorne offers fascinating insights into Wodehouse's world, his life - on Long Island and elsewhere - the wonderful short stories and novels and the many adaptations for stage and screen.
An authoritative guide covering the best birdwatching sites in Britain. This handy field guide covers the very best birding sites in Britain. In a format familiar to readers of this popular series, each site is considered in terms of 'Habitat', Access' and 'Birds', aiding birders of all levels to plan successful birding trips anywhere in Britain, and to maximise the chances of getting the best out of each site and each region. The book includes attractive and accurate line drawings, detailed maps of the larger sites, plus general maps of the regions covered. Extensively revised with several new sites added for this edition, it also includes important information on disabled access.
This is Volume XVIII of nineteen in the Abnormal and Clinical Psychology Series. Originally published in 1957 this study offers the history of the theory and practice of psychotherapy. Since psychotherapy is a technique and not a science, the author has aimed at tracing the development of the technical differences between the schools, and deals only with such theoretical disagreements as seemed to be connected with these technical differences.
It was almost inevitable that in the 15th century the new Scots royal house of Stewart would have to come to a reckoning with the great house of Douglas. Young Will Douglas, the eight earl, was born to vast power, influence - and trouble. And with the boy-king James II on an uneasy throne, and scoundrels ruling Scotland, the death of Will's father plunged him suddenly into a world where might prevailed and the end justified the means. 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday 'He has an amazingly broad grip of Scottish history' Daily Telegraph
Once again Scotland was fighting for her survival as a free and independent nation. Robert the Bruce's legacy, three years after his death in 1329, is in danger. With a five-year-old heir guarded by an ageing and diminishing band of lieutenants, the English King, Edward III, has seen his opportunity. War is renewed, a puppet king set up. In the years of struggle that follow, two men stand out as leaders of their people: Sir William Douglas, the Knight of Liddesdale, known as the Flower of Chivalry; and Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalwolsey. Friends and comrades-in-arms by their gallantry and daring, they do more than any others to save their country. Yet something is to happen between them that will cause one of the most desperate events in Scotland's violent and dramatic history...
The final volume in the trilogy spanning the turbulent reign of King James V of Scotland. The young James, King of Scots is a beleaguered man. Still grief stricken at the untimely death of his queen, Madeleine, the king is without an heir. Both he and his throne are vulnerable. All around him he sees conspiracies. Some may lie in his imagination but all too many are real, for there are many who would supplant him or control him. Even his own mother, Margaret Tudor, plots against him. But then, she is the sister of the English King Henry VIII who sprawls like a bloated spider south of the border, his greedy eyes ever on the realm of Scotland, hungry to bring it within his grasp. The young king's advisors, the two David's, Beaton and Lindsay, have preserved him so far but the threats to James and his country seem to grow by the year... 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday
With the heir to the throne murdered, King Robert III a sick weakling, and his remaining son a child, Scotland and the Stewarts were in a bad way three generations on from the great Bruce. But two young men stood out: Alex Stewart, bastard son of the notorious Wolf of Badenoch, and his cousin, Brave John of Coull, a son of the hated regent. With their fortunes are entwined those of Sir Jamie Douglas, through whose eyes the story is told. The Captive Crown concludes the great trilogy of novels which charts the rise against all odds of the royal House of Stewart, as told by Nigel Tranter, master of Scottish historical fiction.
Little is known about Thomas Learmonth of Ercildoune, vassal and esquire of the Earl of Dunbar, poet and prophesier known as 'Thomas the Rhymer'. During the reign of the Scottish King Alexander III, a time when the sword ruled over all and the treachery of the powerful earls had never been greater, True Thomas became renowned for his extraordinary gift of prophecy - a gift which has echoed through the centuries. In this enthralling tale, Scottish historical novelist Nigel Tanter brings him and the wild and rugged times in which he lived to vivid and memorable life.
Reason to be afraid - over 50 unsolved cases of serial murder Fact: murderers and serial killers do not always get caught. Behind every headline of a newsworthy conviction lie other cases of vicious murderers who got away, and who remain somewhere among us. Here in one giant volume are more than 50 of the most serious serial killings and other murder cases that continue to remain unsolved. The cases covered in this alarming book include: " Argentina's crazed highway killer, responsible for mutilating and killing at least five people since 1997, and dumping their bodies along remote highways " The Green River Killer, believed to be a middle-aged white man, who has claimed at least 49 lives to date in the Seattle-Tacoma area " South Africa's 'Phoenix Strangler', suspected of killing 20 women in the province of KwaZulu Natal. " The Twin Cities Killer - either one or several people responsible for a series of over 30 murders on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where the victims were mostly prostitutes " Costa Rica's elusive 'El Psicópata' (The Psychopath), thought to have murdered at least 19 people in this small quiet Central American country " 'The Monster of Florence', responsible for a series of 15 sexual slayings just outside Florence In each case it is not just the crimes that are horrifying and fascinating, but the response of local police and authorities to the lack of a conviction. Local authorities may fear to admit the continued existence of a serial killer at large; whilst police bodies face the temptation to 'tidy up' loose unsolved murders under the aegis of other admitted crimes.
A brilliant leader, a renowned strategist, a talented moderate in a bigoted age: James Graham, the Marquis of Montrose, is a man of great charm and steadfast loyalty. Devoting his life to King Charles I leads him to reluctant involvement in national affairs: to intrigue, violence, treachery and battle. With all Scotland almost in his grasp, his most hated enemy defeated and discredited and England and Oliver Cromwell next on the list, Montrose looks set to triumph. But that is to reckon without the hand of fate . . . 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday
In 1568, the defeat of Mary, Queen of Scots at the Battle of Langside and her subsequent flight to England left Scotland a troubled nation. Mary's infant son was crowned James VI, with her illegitimate half-brother, the earl of Moray, as Regent. The population remained bitterly divided as Moray and the Protestant Lords began to wreak their terrible vengeance on supporters of the losing side. Having fought for the Queen at the battle, the Carmichaels of Lanarkshire were in a precarious position to say the least. Poor nineteen-year-old John Carmichael, Younger of that Ilk, whose sole ambitions were land-improvement, organising fishing and raising a family, was to become deeply entangled in the murky world of Scots regency government, eventually finding himself in great danger. 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday
The story of the second half of Nigel's career as one of the most famous referees in World Rugby and one of only two Welsh referees ever to officiate at a Rugby World Cup Final, including the full story of his last Rugby World Cup in 2019.
The brutal murder of James I, King of Scots, at Perth in 1437 left his seven-year-old son to rule over a troubled kingdom. Power-hungry lords seized their chance to gain control over the boy-king James II and his realm. When young Alexander Lyon, son of the Thane of Glamis, married Agnes, the daughter of Sir William Crichton, he found himself drawn into the wider affairs of the nation. Alec was to become a close attendant and friend of the young monarch at a time when James was in sore need of protection. Alec Lyon and Agnes Crichton were to shape the story of Scotland - and that of England, too. This was the period of the Wars of the Roses, and the northern kingdom was not to remain unaffected. A thrilling tale of cunning and treachery, danger and romance from master of Scottish historical fiction Nigel Tranter.
This book offers a fresh and up-to-date account of the ethical thought of one of the twentieth century's greatest theologians: Karl Barth. The author seeks to recover Barth's ethics from some widespread misunderstandings, and also presents a picture of them as a whole. Drawing on recently published sources, Dr Biggar construes the ethics of the Church Dogmatics as it might have been had Barth lived to complete it - not only separately in each of its three constituent dimensions but also in its dynamic, coinherent integrity. However, The Hastening that Waits is more than apology and description. For it recommends to contemporary Christian ethics the theological rigour with which Barth expounds the good life in terms of the living presence of God-in-Christ to his creatures; his conception of right human action as that which is able to hasten in the service of humanity precisely by waiting prayerfully upon God; and his discriminate openness to moral wisdom outside of the Christian church. Among the particular topics treated are: the concepts of human freedom and of created moral order; moral norms and their relation to individual vocation; the relative ethical roles of the Bible, the Church, philosophy, and empirical science; moral character and its formation; and the problem of war.
For Christians living as a persecuted minority in the Middle East, the question of whether their allegiance should lie with their faith or with the national communities they live in is a difficult one. This collection of essays aims to reconcile this conflict of allegiance by looking at the biblical vision of citizenship and showing that Christians can live and work as citizens of the state without compromising their beliefs and make a constructive contribution to the life of the countries they live in. The contributors come from a range of prestigious academic and religious posts and provide analysis on a range of issues such as dual nationalism, patriotism and the increase of Islamic fundamentalism. An insightful look into the challenges religious minorities face in countries where they are a minority, these essays provide a peace-building and reconciliatory conclusion for readers to consider.
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