The Politics department has continued to operate a reading group during the latest period of remote learning.
Last week saw students read extracts from Machiavelli’s The Prince before sharing their thoughts. Ideas grappled with included whether it is better for a ruler to be loved or feared, whether Machiavelli’s ideas are amoral and whether he has been harshly judged by anyone lazily using the term ‘Machiavellian.’ Next week we will read Isaiah Berlin on value pluralism.
Furthermore, during the period of remote learning, all Sixth Form Politics students were invited to participate in the ‘Lockdown Politics Film Club.’ This week we discussed The Ides of March. We discussed the relevance of politicians’ private lives, whether any film made in the pre-Trump era feels relevant and more, and Miss Aitken-Burt was able to offer an in depth explanation of the classical allusions in the title. Next week we will be looking at In the Loop.
Mr Davis (Head of Politics)