Category Archives: Questions by Matthew

What would Britain look like under a utilitarian government?

The greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. There’s so many problems with calculating utilitarianism. For a start, the nature of happiness is confusing. I think most people would probably start talking about distribution of wealth. It was certainly … Continue reading

Posted in Illustrations by Emma, Questions by Matthew | 3 Comments

“Bow ties are cool.” Yes/no?

There is no point attempting to make me an arbiter of cool. To be honest, you’re better off relying on a fictional Time Lord who historically has been defined by a ludicrously recognisable appearance (except for Christopher Eccleston, who was … Continue reading

Posted in Illustrations by Henry, Questions by Matthew | Leave a comment

Do creators of popular fiction have a right to change the canon at whim or will?

Yes. But readers/listeners/viewers of popular fiction have every right to ignore them. It’s one of the points that is missed in the geekier debates about the nature of canon. Any creative project is actually a collaboration between the creator and … Continue reading

Posted in Questions by Matthew, Special Guest Illustrations | Leave a comment

Should we resume the 4 day working week?

Technically, I already have. If everyone drops to four, I’d probably end up living ‘the dream’ and dropping down to three. (I realise that sentence is probably somewhat offensive/insensitive to people who remember the three day week and the pain … Continue reading

Posted in Illustrations by Jaime, Questions by Matthew | 1 Comment

What can change the nature of a man?

Open eyes. Seriously. I believe in the malleability of personality. Of course, that may not be our ‘nature’, but then, if it is, then it’s by definition the unchangeable, incomprehensible core notion of selfness, which makes the question kind of … Continue reading

Posted in Illustrations by Helen, Questions by Matthew | 1 Comment