Lost in the Moral Maze

Michael Henderson

“WE SHOULD BE KIND, while there is still time”. The words belong to Philip Larkin, moved to tears of remorse after he caught a hedgehog in the blades of his mower. But what is kindness, and is it the highest of virtues? Good questions, one might have thought, for Radio 4’s long-running debate TheMoralMaze. The answers from the four guests will have perplexed, and possibly angered, many listeners. Surely it is not too difficult to agree that one should try to avoid off ending others, though it is not an absolute rule. Newspaper columnists are frequently unkind about people in high places, but their readers expect no less. That’s one reason people buy papers. They want salt in their porridge. It was one of those columns, by Jeremy Clarkson (below),…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2023

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