The lost art of listening
Tobias Jones
It is a commonplace saying that we must listen more. But in our noisy world it takes a lot of skill and energy.
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It is a commonplace saying that we must listen more. But in our noisy world it takes a lot of skill and energy.
The struggle for sustainable energy will soon put China, the US and Europe on a geopolitical collision course. But moving away from fossil fuels is a Herculean task, and a greener politics will not transcend tragedy.
It was the decade of Friends, Bill Clinton and a fresh new pan-European passport. Underneath the teen-pop smile of the nineties there were blemishes.
Our cities are so saturated in the mythology of the ancient world that classical allusions pop up in unexpected places.
A 17th century reflection on the virtues of travel shows us what is being lost during the pandemic.
The elegance of Georgian architecture, best exemplified in Bath and Edinburgh, can inspire a modern Renaissance in British housing design.
The presidential inauguration makes manifest the complexity and beauty of the American Dream.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to endless list-making and tally-counting. History shows us that this is a fundamental human need.
With China positioning itself as a leader on the world stage, its government is drawing on memories of the role the country played in shaping the post-War order. This raises tough questions about China’s self-image.
While celebrity has ruined many a talent, the rest of us miss those small public performances in the pub or theatre, which make life that little bit more exciting.
The pandemic coincided with the 30th anniversary of the reunification of Germany – the crisis is a chance to find that sense of optimism again.
The tension between independence and compliance is everywhere in society – but in medicine, reason must come before rules.
It is often said that the city is like an organism – now lethargic, but soon to burst forth with renewed vigour.
The fine hand of the artist and the musician has gone a long way for some of history’s great and terrible figures.
Seamus Heaney’s poems are a valuable, moving register of individual intimacy and national pain.
The pandemic has forced us all to live more wholesome lives, but some danger still exists between the pages of the novel.
This period of turbulence could turn today’s twenty-somethings into the leaders of a new liberal revolution.
Asian literature, with its technologically-adept Chinese emperors, Animist Spirit-negotiators, and Yogic sages, shows us how to live well in troubled times.
On Saturday, pubs re-opened in England. It was a day politicians had dubbed ‘super Saturday’, although much of the press hailed it ‘sardine Saturday’. A
Beijing wants to foster a world where Chinese standards replace those of the post-1945 US-led system.
In an era of social distancing, the city is stripped of its landscape of adventure and danger, its quality of ‘sheer life’.
Engelsberg Ideas is brought to you by The Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit
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