Richard Eckersley

The health of young people should be a focal point in the larger contest of social narratives.

So, how do we know what is true in today’s world? The answer is with great difficulty; and by being sceptical, tolerant, open-minded, vigilant, and determined.

Cultures define what we know about the world, and so what we do in the world. We need to pay them more attention.

To respond effectively to this situation, political debate needs to incorporate and reflect all the complexity and depth of today’s challenges, to encourage the conceptual space for a transformation in our worldview, beliefs and values as profound as any in human history.

The political systems of Western liberal democracy are failing. Blinkered by their cultures, most politicians and journalists do not see the extent of this failure.

With the COVID-19 pandemic laying waste to the country, and President Trump’s chances of re-election fading, America is at last beginning to look more deeply into the country’s problems.