How Evil was Empire? | Professor Nigel Biggar

Professor Nigel Biggar questions the narrative that empires were entirely, or even largely, evil, pointing to the atrocities of nation states and the successes of some empires historically.
Link to the full conversation: • The British Empire | N...
Nigel John Biggar CBE is Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, author, Anglican priest, and theologian. He also directs the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life at Oxford which aims to foster a conversation between Christian theology and other disciplines.
In 2017, Biggar initiated the Oxford project “Ethics and Empire” which aimed to scrutinise a purely negative view of empires and argue that they were morally mixed. Historians and academics widely criticised the project for 'attempting to balance out the violence committed in the name of empire with its supposed benefits.'
Recently, Nigel published What’s Wrong with Rights? arguing that society’s modern rights conversation reduces the importance of fostering civic virtues.
Nigel delivered the 2022 Roger Scruton Memorial Lecture, entitled On Deconstructing Decolonisation. Link: • Scruton Lectures 2022 ...
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Follow Nigel on Twitter: / nigelbiggar

[@stacyliddell5038]

It's truly bizarre to think that there are people out there that view the world in zeros and ones. The truth is always more nuanced than that. It is complex.

[@birchlover3377]

In my web wanderings, I once read a fascinating blog post by an Aboriginal Australian who no longer avails herself of preference hiring or simialar aid. She stated that as regrettable as some events were, colonialism propelled her people very quickly from the Stone Age to the Modern Era. Wish I had bookmarked it. One never hears alternative opinions like those.

[@stevecrane6163]

The fact that people from the former British-English speaking empire have the ability to voice such negative views about it with impunity... ipso facto prove it had at least one good point! Free speech. It had many more - parliamentary democracy, abolition of slavery....

[@markgrissom]

I am a retired US Marine with a birds eye view and knowledge of history. Enough to realize that the Brits have nothing to apologize for, in comparison to all others . The Judeo-Christian British "Empire" has done more to civilize the world than any culture and society before and since. The Empire is a direct benefactor to the USA. All things that make the US great come from Great Britain. Our founding fathers just codified it in greater detail with our Declaration and Constitution.

[@CasperLabuschagne]

Those living in ex-British colonies (as I do) should thank their lucky stars that the were colonised by Britain and not France, Germany, Portugal, Spain or especially Belgium. British colonisation had a strong humanitarian aspect to it and for the most part did not forcefully follow a rigid policy of replacing indigenous language and culture with European culture and English as the only language. Even the imposed British legal system contained a strong element of accommodating indigenous law.

[@hugod2000]

Thank you for posting your interested videos

[@wigglethemiddle1]

Thank you for all your hard work John Anderson!

[@rogeralsop3479]

Excellent men.

[@mayormccheese6171]

The real lesson the West needs to learn from colonialism is not to allow waves of relentless foreign immigration to destroy own our indigenous culture and history just because we are too passive to object. Didn't work out well for the Huron or the Cree or the Aztecs or the Aboriginals so we should heed their warning and keep much tighter borders.

[@traddacharlie]

Thanks for reducing the outro music volume btw, my eardrums applaud you.

[@kilarishivaprasad8789]

I understand what you meant in sense of Indians supporting British against Japanese.

[@billburr5881]

Compared to who?

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

The British Empire was the greatest force for good the world has ever seen.

[@drewwilson6639]

Any kind of criticism would have been crushed by the leaders of the empire. That's why having the freedom to criticize government is so important. Things like human rights and free speech are unique to western civilization because of its

[@fraseredk7433]

Hear hear.

[@MichaelHabner]

Empire is the rule of man over man, an immoral act. No possibility is considered that man can and does, at least to some extent, live free of rule. It is assumed that empire is all there is and will be; no counter point or reference is given.

[@tonybennett638]

Listen to Blackadder he has a important view on colonialism in the British empire..🤪

[@xavierpaquin]

Thank you 🙏

[@banta-pd8zj]

So what was the fate of the Indians that fought for the UK in India?

[@stillumatithedon1519]

America still doing it !!!