(The Muir portrait, circa 1800, unknown author. Wikimedia Commons) (Above is an audio recording of the blog post) Adam Smith recognized the need for education to play a role in counteracting the degeneration of the worker that would be brought about…
(The Muir portrait, circa 1800, unknown author. Wikimedia Commons) (Above is an audio recording of the blog post) The competitive nature of commercial activity in markets can produce significant material and social advances, bringing about unprecedented enhancements in human life. But…
(Drawing hands, M. C. Esher, 1948) “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism.” – Jean-Paul Sartre (1989) One of the most important things we can do in education is…
(The Muir portrait, circa 1800, unknown author. Wikimedia Commons) (Above is an audio recording of the blog post) 2026 will see the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (1776). Adam Smith (1723-1790) is a towering…
Philosopher Lani Watson, whose work follows the life of questions, suggests that anyone wishing to understand their role should begin with a basic inquiry: What is a question? She looks to function. What does a question do, and what are…
As my colleagues and I prepare for the next step in our research project ‘What’s the “Use” in Higher Education’, focussing on how the contemporary and diverse landscapes of universities conceptualise notions of ‘use’, I continue to be struck by…
(Essais, de Montaigne, 1595) The essay is a unique way of approaching education. It can be part science in that it means ‘to test’ or ‘to experiment’. Conversely, it can be part art in that in that it is an…
Cricketing wisdom for, well, mainly relationships and road trips: a dedication to my late father (1962- 2024) (Wikimedia Commons: Johnson bouncer to Swann, 2013) Note: this piece contains some strong language and content about racial violence. Winter 2025 Here we…
Education is never only about the transmission of knowledge. It is a field where professional identities are shaped, contested, and continually remade. To speak of professional identity in teaching is to enter a space of fluidity, where becoming a teacher…
The War on Science edited by Lawrence M. Krauss Book cover for Krauss (2025). Taken from the Forum catalogue. Forum, 2025. ISBN: 9781800756182, Hbk. ISBN: 9781800756199, eBook. RRP: £16.39 / £14.99, 304pp. Lawrence Krauss is a distinguished theoretical physicist who…
It’s Tough at the Top by Anon. Book cover for Anon. (2025). Taken from the Erratum catalogue. Erratum, 2025. ISBN: 978-1-916541-22-1, Pbk. As our first anonymously authored book launches a new imprint—The University of Fools Press—it feels not entirely inappropriate…
In recent years, the world has witnessed a surge of advancement and popularization of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. With the publication of several UNESCO (2019; 2021; 2023) documents and a range of studies positioning AI as a key point of…