The Hedgehog and the Fox : Jomini, Clausewitz, and History

Man in his power of reasoning is essentially historical. The similes, metaphors and analogies by which he interprets and seeks to understand the world are at root based on an understanding of the past

Value pluralism and public ethics: introduction

‘The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing’. -Archilochus quoted in Berlin, The Hedgehog and the Fox, 22 The fragment from the Greek poet Archilochus, quoted in Isaiah Berlin’s essay ‘The Hedgehog and the Fox’, serves as a metaphor for the long-standing contrast and rivalry between two radically different approaches to public ethics, each of which is couched in a radically different vision of the structure of moral value. On the one hand, the way of the hedgehog corresponds to the creed of value monism, reflecting a faith in the ultimate unity of the moral universe and belief in the singularity, tidiness and completeness of moral and political purposes. On the other hand, the way of the fox corresponds to the nemesis of monism, the philosophical tradition of value pluralism, to which this collection of essays is devoted. This dissenting countermovement, which emerges most clearly in the writings of Isaiah Berlin, Stuart Hampshire, Bernard Williams and John Gray, is fuelled by an appreciation of the perpetuity of plurality and conflict and, correspondingly, by the conviction that visions of moral unity and harmony are incoherent and implausible. In the view of the value pluralists, ‘there is no completeness and no perfection to be found in morality’ (Hampshire 1989a: 177)

The hedgehog and the fox; the history of victimisation surveys from a Trans-Atlantic perspective

In his PhD thesis defended at the University of Versailles on November 12,2014, Matthieu de Castelbajac traces back the early history of victimisationsurveys in the USA and Europe with a focus on the National Crime VictimsSurveys in the USA (starting in 1973), the Dutch Victimisation Survey(1973), the British Crime Survey (1982) and The International Crime VictimsSurvey (1988) (Castelbajac 2014). The present chapter is largely based onthis study, supplemented by additions considerations regarding the Dutch surveyand the ICVS. Firstly, we will try to understand why the American studiesin the early 1970s developed into the first ever full-fledged survey, whereasearlier, similar attempts in Scandinavia did not get off the ground. What explainsthis change of fortune of crime surveys? Next we will analyse in somedetail the original ideas behind the American survey and how these haveshaped the National Crime Victim Survey (NCVS) ever since. In the thirdparagraph we will discuss the different trajectory of the first victimisation surveysin Europe and how these have meandered into many different directionsover the years. Finally, we will reflect on the foiled plans of the EuropeanCommission for an EU wide comparative survey.

The Hedgehog and the Fox: Distinguishing Public and Private Sector Approaches to Managing Risk for Internet Transactions

In his essay The Hedgehog and the Fox, Isaiah Berlin used an ancient Greek proverb comparing these animals as a metaphor to express a deep division among thinkers and writers in their understanding of the human condition. In this essay, I extend the metaphor to contrast the differing approaches to risk management taken by the public sector in the exercise of its sovereign functions and that taken by members of the private sector in the conduct of commercial transactions. In light of the differences in these basic approaches to questions of risk management, I will evaluate some widely discussed models of public key infrastructures for administering digital signature authentication systems. The basic model most commonly discussed today can easily be assimilated to the public sector model of risk management, but does not readily permit the incorporation of the most important features of private sector risk management models. As a result, I predict that before digital signature technology will gain widespread use in business technology, further significant progress will have to be made in the design of public key infrastructures. In addition, I argue that a public sector risk management model is not appropriate for new technology distributed by private actors unless there is a consensus that such an indirect subsidy is in the public interest generally, not just in the interest of certain private promoters of the technology. Furthermore, before the public sector adopts digital signature technology, political issues outside the scope of risk management policies will have to be addressed. For example, political issues such as the degree of protection to be granted to citizens\u27 privacy rights within such an infrastructure will have to be resolved before a determination can be made whether the use of such a technology is genuinely in the public interest

GRK 26: Herodotus and Thucydides

Syllabus and bibliography for an advanced Greek seminar taught at Dartmouth in Winter 201

One Big Thing: Suffering as the Path to New Life in Crime and Punishment

After spending a whole semester reading and thinking about Dostoevsky, the main thing that has struck me about him is his treatment of the theme of suffering. Despite, and even through, his extremely complicated characters and events, he nevertheless focuses his novels, particularly Crime and Punishment, on presenting a nuanced yet unified picture of suffering. After a brief analysis of several of the relevant characters and plot points, his thoughts on what suffering does to and for the individual will be presented. In contrast to our culture’s almost idolization of suffering as an experience which gives one instant respect, authority, and a platform, Dostoevsky’s perspective is honest, informed, pragmatic, and thoroughly Christian

Fusion leadership: A transcultural interpretation and application

This article introduces a new perspective that challenges well-known leadership styles that have flourished in hitherto stable environments. ‘Fusion leadership’ integrates Eastern and Western values and mindsets to establish an approach that may more effectively respond to the challenges and dilemmas of leadership and organizational issues in contemporary situations in the context of globalization. Our approach contributes to the literature on leadership by providing skills, techniques and practical wisdom for leaders to consider and develop their leadership values, styles and practices to respond to cross-cultural challenges