Reading for Battle
Battle Readings is a regularly updated compilation of articles, essays, and opinion pieces relevant to the themes of the Battle of Ideas.
Choose a theme from the listing on the left to narrow your search, or view all readings.
Lifestyle & Society
Pope Francis’s healing, loving revolution is unstoppable
A minority of bishops clings to conservative ways but the Catholic church is slowly changing and will be holier for it.
Austen Ivereigh, Guardian, 19 October 2014
A minority of bishops clings to conservative ways but the Catholic church is slowly changing and will be holier for it.
Austen Ivereigh, Guardian, 19 October 2014
The Emperor's New Clothes? The dangers of the anti-FGM campaign
A Battle in Print essay. Bríd Hehir argues that the campaign against FGM in the UK is built on dubious statistics and prejudices about Africans. Rather than the current focus on bans and coercion, she argues a more nuanced approach is more likely to reduce the prevalence of FGM and would cause less harm.
Bríd Hehir, Battle in Print, 14 October 2014
A Battle in Print essay. Bríd Hehir argues that the campaign against FGM in the UK is built on dubious statistics and prejudices about Africans. Rather than the current focus on bans and coercion, she argues a more nuanced approach is more likely to reduce the prevalence of FGM and would cause less harm.
Bríd Hehir, Battle in Print, 14 October 2014
Big Data: The Next Revolution of Sport
Big Data -- the aggregation and analysis of data to optimize performance -- is transforming modern society. Sport, which has always served as a reflection of society, is no exception. While calculations have been employed since the dawn of athletics, the latest innovations in data are poised to trigger a revolution.
Richard Attias, Huffington Post, 9 October 2014
Big Data -- the aggregation and analysis of data to optimize performance -- is transforming modern society. Sport, which has always served as a reflection of society, is no exception. While calculations have been employed since the dawn of athletics, the latest innovations in data are poised to trigger a revolution.
Richard Attias, Huffington Post, 9 October 2014
Clacton byelection: the main parties need to hear this roar of defiance
From Clacton to Strood, only Ukip seems to speak to voters who feel abandoned, patronised and ignored
John Harris, Guardian, 8 October 2014
From Clacton to Strood, only Ukip seems to speak to voters who feel abandoned, patronised and ignored
John Harris, Guardian, 8 October 2014
There is no longer a need for public libraries
Debating Matters' acclaimed Topic Guides place debates in a social context
Justine Brian, Debating Matters, 22 August 2014
Debating Matters' acclaimed Topic Guides place debates in a social context
Justine Brian, Debating Matters, 22 August 2014
Why I Made a Film Called Free the Nipple and Why I'm Being Censored in America
Is it possible with some cultural engineering, a little "societal enlightenment" we could influence legislation and the shock-and-shame reaction that one topless character in my film addresses with the rallying cry: "Don't subject me to your shame, about my body!"
Lina Esco, Huffington Post, 2 August 2014
Is it possible with some cultural engineering, a little "societal enlightenment" we could influence legislation and the shock-and-shame reaction that one topless character in my film addresses with the rallying cry: "Don't subject me to your shame, about my body!"
Lina Esco, Huffington Post, 2 August 2014
Free The Nipple: why on earth do women want to walk around topless in public?
Free The Nipple, a movement which fights for women to be allowed to go topless in public, has gained popularity after Bruce Willis's daughter, Scout, walked half-naked through New York.
Radhika Sanghani, Telegraph, 6 June 2014
Free The Nipple, a movement which fights for women to be allowed to go topless in public, has gained popularity after Bruce Willis's daughter, Scout, walked half-naked through New York.
Radhika Sanghani, Telegraph, 6 June 2014
Dope is the dullest, squarest drug around: of course One Direction (allegedly) smoke it
If you really want to rebel these days, forget dope - drink booze.
Brendan O'Neill, Daily Telegraph, 1 June 2014
If you really want to rebel these days, forget dope - drink booze.
Brendan O'Neill, Daily Telegraph, 1 June 2014
Rape culture panic is not the answer
Sexual assault on campus is a serious problem—but, "rape culture" is not the answer. The Factual Feminist compares this panic to another nationwide hysteria based on faulty statistics, and how we can avoid making the same mistakes.
Christina Hoff Sommers, American Enterprise Institute, 19 May 2014
Sexual assault on campus is a serious problem—but, "rape culture" is not the answer. The Factual Feminist compares this panic to another nationwide hysteria based on faulty statistics, and how we can avoid making the same mistakes.
Christina Hoff Sommers, American Enterprise Institute, 19 May 2014