The sad news of the death of Professor Roger Scruton, perhaps the foremost conservative thinker in Europe in recent decades, has been marked by numerous well-deserved tributes. Roger was a friend both to me, despite our many differences on the issues of the day, and to the Academy of Ideas. You can enjoy his brilliant attempt to condense Kant into a single lecture at The Academy in 2012 here. But we shared some vitally important things in common, particularly about the importance of education and the
value of being willing to challenge and be challenged on our ideas. (I've written my own tribute to Roger here.)
This openness to debate and the possibility of someone changing your mind is, I hope, a hallmark of our work at the AoI. I'm delighted that the boi charity is continuing its work with Debating
Matters this month, too, providing young people with the chance to develop their ideas and debating abilities.
But learning to discuss ideas and disagree better would also be a good outlook for society in 2020. The past few years, particularly since the vote to leave the EU in 2016, have seen plenty of divisions and an intemperate tone to many debates. But if society is to move forward now, we need to learn to find ways to discuss the future that allow for both passion and civility.
As ever, there is much to
discuss. Take the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - Harry and Meghan to the rest of us - have decided to pull back from public life. 'Megxit', as the tabloid wags have christened, has opened up debates about the purpose of the royal family, whether the UK is a racist and/or sexist country, the role of duty today and the rise of celebrity culture. As many have noted, the whole affair is something everyone seems to have an opinion on and, for once, nobody seems to afraid to express it.
We'll be talking about these issues and much more over the course of the year, particularly at the Battle of Ideas festival. We're already working hard to make this year's festival happen so watch this space for
news.
Claire Fox
Director, Academy of Ideas