On Thursday 13 February, the College had the honour of welcoming Israeli-American entrepreneur and writer Dr Yaron Brook. He spoke to us about the Enlightenment, the age of reason, modernisation and many issues related to these complex topics. Even though this was a talk for Sociology students, many teachers and students from other subjects, such as Religious Studies and Economics, also joined. He started the talk by focusing on the rapid development of technology, and how contemporary life is ‘great’- especially in comparison to the 17th century. He spoke about ‘spiritual wealth’ as well as economic. This was captivating because he takes an emotional and personal approach to the topics of politics and technology – which lack these qualities.
He also put forward that welfare is problematic, and services should be privatised (skipping over the NHS). These ideas are compatible with affluent people, but I think overlooks the deprived. He argues that society, if anything, should become ‘more capitalist’, whilst altruism is detrimental. Brook’s thoughts on doing things for oneself before someone else are valid and he presented much evidence to support this. However, one may argue that his ‘dog eat dog’ views are linked to American ideology.
He was an excellent speaker and truly held the audience’s attention, whilst speaking clearly without ‘waffle’. The students enjoyed his talk, and appreciated the extra knowledge gained from this great experience.
By Ava Weinbrecht, Student
