In Memoriam

Dr Martin Mansell MD FRCP LLM Consultant Nephrologist has died of Covid-19. Martin enrolled in the University of Buckingham MA in Philosophy 2018/19 and was supervised by Sir Roger and by Samuel Hughes. He also attended the Scrutopia Summer School Alumni meeting of 2019 ( see picture: A visit to Knight's Mill)  and is fondly remembered for his kindness, his lively scepticism and his searching questions in pursuit of truth. He was deeply interested in the ethics of organ donation, researching legal and moral questions surrounding the work to which he had devoted his distinguished professional life.

Wagner’s Parsifal by Roger Scruton review – in defence of the insufferable. Stuart Jefferies for The Guardian.
Nietzsche famously called Wagner’s last opera poisonous, but does its theme of redemption offer an antidote to our ills?

Read the full article HERE

‘Wagner’s Parsifal – The Music of Redemption’ 

This short but penetrating book, by a writer who was uniquely both a leading philosopher and musicologist, shows us how Wagner achieves this profound work, explaining the story, its musical ideas, and their coming together into a sublime whole which gives us the musical equivalent of forgiveness and closure. There are few writers who can so enhance our understanding of one of the greatest works in western music.

Reviews - 

Scruton is one of the finest philosopher-musicians since Schopenhauer. Jonathan Gaisman, Standpoint

Highly original and penetrating ... he writes about the music authoritatively but comprehensibly... lucidly, cogently and even entertainingly. Tim Blanning, Literary Review

A brilliant gallop through the master's religious, musical and philosophical contexts. Sue Prideaux, Spectator

After reading this book, only the most unadventurous reader would turn down the chance to see Wagner's masterpiece. Economist

Find out more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/315/315017/wagner-s-parsifal/9780241419694.html

Co-Chair Nicholas Boys-Smith has kindly shared the below links to two recent House of Commons debates futuring comments about the BBBBC.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-12/debates/3D651FDE-D43F-4436-88C7-AD4BE4C6E5DC/PlanningForTheFuture

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-12/debates/D6DDB1D5-70C2-4DB7-9A0D-F8251FA499F2/CommunityHousing

Click HERE to read the latest from Scrutopia. 

Click HERE to read the latest from Scrutopia. 

‘Living with Beauty’ the report of the Building Beautiful Building Better Commission was launched on 30^th January by the Secretary of State Robert Jenrick MP and Roger’s co-chair Nicholas Boys-Smith. They both paid wonderful tribute to Roger. Nicholas ensured that Roger’s thought and writing was included right up to the last edit for which I will always be grateful. The report says: “Ask for Beauty”; “Refuse Ugliness” “Promote Stewardship”
“We should recognise that the pursuit of beauty is an attempt to work with our neighbours, not to impose our views on them. As Kant argued in his great Critique of Judgment, in the judgment of beauty we are ‘suitors for agreement’, and even if that judgment begins in subjective sentiment, it leads of its own accord to the search for consensus.”

The full report is available online: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/861832/Living_with_beauty_BBBBC_report.pdf

We’ll make it easier to build beautiful homes, to end the myth that quality is the enemy of supply
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/25/make-easier-build-beautiful-homes-end-myth-quality-enemy-supply/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em
Robert Jenrick, Housing Secretary. (Sunday Telegraph ‘Comment’ section 25 January 2020)

New homes that conform to local residents' ideas of beauty to be fast-tracked through planning system
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/25/new-homes-conform-local-residents-ideas-beauty-fast-tracked/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em
Edward Malnick, Sunday Political Editor. (The Telegraph, Front page Sunday 25th Jan 2020)

The Commission will be launching the final final on Thursday 30th January. 

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sir Roger Scruton, FBA, FRSL. Beloved husband of Sophie, adored father to Sam and Lucy and treasured brother of Elizabeth and Andrea, he died peacefully on Sunday 12th January. He was born on 27th February 1944 and had been fighting cancer for the last 6 months. His family are hugely proud of him and of all his achievements. (12.01.2020)

Tributes to Roger

Roger Scruton Was a Conservative. But What Kind? Robert P. George - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/opinion/roger-scruton.html

An appreciation. Ian Christie - https://www.cusp.ac.uk/themes/m/blog-ic-sir-roger-scruton-an-appreciation/

A personal appreciation. Ian Christie - https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2020/01/24/sir-roger-scruton-19442020-a-personal-appreciation
Barbara Kay: - https://quillette.com/2020/01/14/remembering-roger-scruton-defender-of-reason-in-a-world-of-postmodern-jackals/

Scruton was the greatest thinker of our age. Daniel Hannan -https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/18/roger-scruton-greatest-conservative-thinker-age/

Sir Roger Scruton Obituary. The Telegraph

We owe it to Scruton to follow his example. Douglas Murray - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/13/owe-roger-scruton-follow-example/

Roger Scruton knew the precious value of freedom. Melanie Philips - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/roger-scruton-knew-the-precious-value-of-freedom-tb663hgzk

Sir Roger Scruton Obituary. The Times - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sir-roger-scruton-obituary-5t7t6626x

Towering intellect whose only crime was to be a conservative. Toby Young - The Daily Mail

Sir Roger Scruton Obituary. Jane O'Grady -  The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/14/sir-roger-scruton-obituary

How Scruton embraced religion. Frances Ward - Church Times - https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/24-january/comment/opinion/how-scruton-embraced-religion

Obituary: Sir Roger Scruton. The Revd Steve Wilkinson -https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/24-january/gazette/obituaries/sir-roger-scruton

Remembering Roger Scruton. Alev Scott - https://www.ft.com/content/4090c72e-3789-11ea-ac3c-f68c10993b04

My friend Roger Scruton. Christina Hoff Sommers - https://www.aei.org/society-and-culture/my-friend-roger-scruton/

Roger Scruton is dead, but his books and ideas will live on. Daniel Johnson - https://www.thearticle.com/roger-scruton-is-dead-but-his-books-and-ideas-will-live-on?utm_source=bibblio_article_page

Roger Scruton, 1944-2020. Flagg Taylor - https://thebulwark.com/roger-scruton-1944-2020/

Roger Scruton, 1944-2020. Remebering the philosopher. Tim Crane - https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/roger-scruton-1944-2020-tim-crane/

Roger Scruton: Conservative thinker dies at 75. BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51084248

Roger Scuton: Conservative lodestar. Danny Kruger - https://unherd.com/2020/01/roger-scruton-conservative-lodestar/

The Hounds in Full Cry: Roger Scruton's Conservatism. Bradley Birzer - https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-hounds-in-full-cry-roger-scrutons-conservatism/

4 ways Sir Roger shaped me. Bryan Baise - https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/4-ways-sir-roger-scruton-shaped-me

Roger Scruton: A Conservative for Modern Times. Dominic Green - https://www.wsj.com/articles/roger-scruton-a-conservative-for-modern-times-11578955867

A perfect knight: Remembering Roger Scruton. Daniel Hannan https://www.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/a-perfect-knight-remembering-roger-scruton/

Policy Exchange pays tribut to Sir Roger Scruton. Professor Robert Grant - https://policyexchange.org.uk/news/policy-exchange-pays-tribute-to-sir-roger-scruton/

The Philosopher of Love. Thierry Baudet - https://forumvoordemocratie.nl/actueel/sir-roger-scruton-philosopher-of-love

The philosopher's mind at its end. Mark Dooley - https://thecritic.co.uk/the-philosophers-mind-at-its-end/

Roger Scruton, British philosopher and conservative lightning rod, dies at 75. Harrison Smith - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/roger-scruton-british-philosopher-and-conservative-lightning-rod-dies-at-75/2020/01/13/44b8f7d8-3615-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html

RIP Roger Scruton. Mark Lees - https://www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/rip-sir-roger-scruton-1944-2020

Scruton: Philosopher par excellence. Anthony O'Hear - https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/february-2020/philosopher-par-excellence/

The Gratitude of a Lover of Wisdom. Nicholas Bartulovic - https://amgreatness.com/2020/01/17/the-gratitude-of-a-lover-of-wisdom/

Obituaries in the Czech media:

https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/zemrel-britsky-filozof-scruton-spojeny-s-ceskoslovenskym-disentem/1841559

https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/svet/3028022-zemrel-roger-scruton-filozof-a-politolog-se-slabosti-pro-ceskoslovensko

https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/zemrel-roger-scruton-vyznacnemu-britskemu-filozofovi-a-polit/r~261f3196357711ea84260cc47ab5f122/

https://www.novinky.cz/zahranicni/clanek/zemrel-britsky-filozof-a-politolog-sir-roger-scruton-40309694

https://stars24.cz/celebrity/svetove-celebrity/16548-zemrel-roger-scruton-75-britsky-myslitel-mel-tuto-vazbu-na-cesko

https://www.plzen.eu/o-meste/aktuality/aktuality-z-mesta/zemrel-britsky-filozof-roger-scruton-jeden-z-prvnich-drzitelu-ceny-1-cervna.aspx

https://echo24.cz/a/SeX4K/zemrel-britsky-filozof-roger-scruton-ktery-mel-silnou-vazbu-na-ceskoslovensko

https://www.forum24.cz/zemrel-filozof-roger-scruton-pritel-ceskoslovenskych-demokratu/

https://www.lidovky.cz/lide/zemrel-filozof-a-politolog-roger-scruton-bylo-mu-75-let.A200112_210403_lide_rkj

https://www.idnes.cz/kultura/literatura/roger-scruton-filozof-spisovatel-politolog-intelektual-umrti-velka-britanie.A200112_205824_literatura_rko

https://prima.iprima.cz/zpravodajstvi/britsky-filozof-scruton-prohral-boj-s-rakovinou-za-dob-komunismu-vedl-bytove-seminare

https://www.novinky.cz/kultura/salon/clanek/otazka-rogera-scrutona-petr-pithart-vzpomina-na-britskeho-filosofa-40310955

https://www.blesk.cz/clanek/zpravy-udalosti/631340/ocenovany-filozof-scruton-prohral-boj-s-rakovinou-fiala-byl-pritel-ceskeho-naroda.html

https://www.vaclavhavel.cz/cs/index/novinky/1090/roger-scruton-1944-2020

http://uni.uhk.cz/ff/kfsv/?p=21110

More extensive and personal tributes:

https://plus.rozhlas.cz/daniel-kroupa-zemrel-roger-scruton-8135300

https://www.konzervativninoviny.cz/sir-roger-scruton-rip/

https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/zemrel-britsky-filosof-sir-roger-scruton-muz-ktery-podrzel-ceskoslovensky-disent-86188

https://www.em.muni.cz/udalosti/12418-zemrel-filozof-roger-scruton-cestny-doktor-muni-ktery-cechy-ucil-myslet-jinak

https://echoprime.cz/a/SWD2i/odesel-roger-scruton-obhajce-zapadu-a-pritel-ceskoslovenska

https://nazory.aktualne.cz/zemrel-filosof-roger-scruton/r~c7d5428035fb11ea926e0cc47ab5f122/

https://ceskapozice.lidovky.cz/tema/zesnuly-roger-scruton-pomahal-v-cesku-vzdelanosti-a-veci-svobody.A200121_161247_pozice-tema_lube

https://pravdive.eu/news/171907/roger-scruton-kratka-elegie

https://ceskapozice.lidovky.cz/tema/roger-scruton-byl-ze-vsech-zapadnich-akademiku-nejkonzervativnejsi.A200121_174014_pozice-tema_lube

https://www.em.muni.cz/komentare/12464-univerzita-musi-byt-kritickou-instanci-ve-spolecnosti

https://www.krestandnes.cz/roger-scruton-rip/

http://blog.aktualne.cz/blogy/karel-hvizdala.php?itemid=35663

https://echo24.cz/a/SH5Va/dobrosrdecny-verny-a-svobodny-roger-scruton

https://plus.rozhlas.cz/roger-scruton-miloval-cechy-osobni-vzpominky-pritele-bratinky-8149104

https://denikn.cz/270296/vzpominka-na-rogera-scrutona-svebytneho-ostrovniho-konzervativce-ktery-nesetril-ani-thatcherovou/

https://echoprime.cz/a/SUrz2/scrutonuv-ohen-v-katakombach

https://www.postoj.sk/50597/za-rogerom-scrutonom?fbclid=IwAR2jcF0gmroP90KrgTWmDWSG0z5ocHJ9rtOpJdrBC-KWiYZE0y1-LFK61Z8

https://www.tyzden.sk/nazory/61577/anton-vydra-roger-scruton-a-vplyv-vzdelanca/?ref=tit&fbclid=IwAR0dC0W1DrOGh8PjPQ1YHewcLFkYfRdH4DNO9gyZVXvMgi753aS1UzBer-E