Ray Monk
@raymodraco.bsky.social
I've written biographies of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell and Robert J. Oppenheimer and am currently preoccupied with climate change. My passions include music and ancient churches. I am proud to be a volunteer tour guide at Salisbury Cathedral.
There is nothing "brave" or "refreshing" about giving vent to racist, homophobic, islamaphobic, misogynistic and transphobic prejudices. Lament Rod Liddle's passing if you like, but, for heaven's sake, don't eulogise him precisely for being the conduit for extremely offensive views.
Rain! Actual rain! Lots of it. It's pouring! Praise the Lord!
It's not surprising that Trump's speech at the White House Correspondents' dinner was a disaster. All it did was expose in the most excruciating way something that has been apparent for a long time: he has no sense of humour.
What Tim Henman was to Wimbledon, the England (men's) football team are to the World Cup. Like Tim, every now and then they reach the semi-final and then the whole country goes mad with anticipation. Will this finally be the year? And the answer is always: "no, of course not!"
Hot off the press! My piece on Einstein in the latest LRB. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Ray Monk · Einstein’s Miracle Year
‘Why is it that nobody understands me and everybody likes me?’ Albert Einstein’s question acknowledges the great...
lrb.co.uk
The people of Clacton, the whole country has a clear and simple message for you: vote Binface!
www.newscientist.com/article/2531... We should all be a lot more worried about climate change than we seem to be. The complacency of our governments in the face of this huge threat is astonishing.
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
The extreme heat currently being felt in Europe isn’t the new normal – much worse is to come, and we are doing far too little to adapt, says Michael Le Page
newscientist.com
"I don't know anything. I see he was... I guess he was the mayor of a town." Trump on Andy Burnham, arousing the indignation of the entire population of Manchester.
Not even close. Well done Andy Burnham. That's a good result for us all.
Tony Blair's advice to abandon net zero is in the interest of petrostates and oil companies; for the rest of us, it is idiotic. I hope the government ignores it. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Blair’s fossil fuel ideas ‘bizarre’ in face of energy and climate crises, experts say
Energy specialists say abandoning net zero and increasing oil and gas drilling would cause more instability for Britons
theguardian.com
Despite the best efforts of every news service in the country, I really can't get very excited about Artemis II. It just didn't seem to matter very much.
When a US president says, "A whole civilization will die tonight", he should, for the sake of the whole of humanity, be removed from office as soon as possible. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Donald Trump says ‘a whole civilisation will die’ if Iran ignores demands
Attacks on Iran increase and Israel tells Iranians to avoid train travel as deadline to reopen strait of Hormuz looms
theguardian.com
What Trump is doing is providing Iran with a watertight argument for acquiring nuclear weapons.
Actually, a library with no books would be a fitting monument to the most ignorant president in history! www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump shares video of skyscraper presidential library in Miami with no books in sight
Alongside a video of the plans, the president shared a link to a site collecting donations for the library
independent.co.uk
"Days We Left Behind," the new Paul McCartney single is pretty good! Actually, for an eighty- three year old, it seems nothing short of miraculous - like his career as a whole! The man is amazing.
There is so much madness going on at the moment that it is understandable that it has not received much attention, but it is worth pausing a moment to reflect on how utterly bizarre it is that Trump thinks he should have a say in who is chosen to become the new leader of Iran. I mean, what?!!
Weather forecast for the rest of the day: between 70% and 95% chance of rain for every hour of the day. I am so sick of it raining! xxx
In Trump vs the laws of physics, there will only be one winner - and all of us will be losers. BBC News - Trump revokes landmark EPA ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Trump revokes landmark EPA ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health
The White House calls it the largest deregulation in US history, but environmentalists say it will prove costly for Americans.
bbc.co.uk
Let us hope, for the sake of future generations, that this vote prevails. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Global economy must move past GDP to avoid planetary disaster, warns UN chief
Exclusive: António Guterres says world’s accounting systems should place true value on the environment
theguardian.com
My very brilliant niece, Lani, aka The Questions Doctor, has posted the first video in a series of videos to accompany her much anticipated book, Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers, which will be published this summer. Check it out. youtube.com/watch?v=xlhg...
How can I learn to harness the power of questions?
YouTube video by The Questions Dr
youtube.com
The news reports that are coming out of Minneapolis (well done, Channel 4) are doing the Trump administration no favours at all. How long will it be before he tries to control them? Will that be the next step towards tyranny?
Just catching up on Channel 4 News, who led on Minneapolis and relegated the Labour Party stuff to second place. You see, BBC? It's good to know we have at least one proper news service.
Meanwhile, the government published this report today. Among its conclusions is that "Ecosystem degradation is occurring across all regions. Every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse." www.gov.uk/government/p...
Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security
This strategic assessment explores how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect the UK’s resilience, security and prosperity.
gov.uk
What do Trump's words and deeds tell us about his attitude towards allies? It seems to me there are two possibilities: 1. He thinks the USA is so powerful, it doesn't need any allies, and 2. He thinks the only ally he needs is Putin's Russia. Which of these is it? Or is there a third possibility?
My latest publication - in the new issue of Sarum Chronicle - is something of a departure!
Here's the talk I gave in Vienna last month as part of the Wittgenstein Week, held in the very splendid Palais Schönborn. youtu.be/Cgl5cgoInNs?...
Ray Monk: Preparing for the Second Coming: Ludwig Wittgenstein in Vienna 1925-1929
YouTube video by Wittgenstein Initiative
youtu.be
On Sunday, at the invitation of my publishers at Zhejiang University Press, I will go to China, where I will give talks on Wittgenstein at Fudan University, Zhejiang University and Beijing Normal University. I will also be give a lecture on biography in this amazing building: Shanghai Library East.
