The British Empire | Nigel Biggar

John is joined by author and theologian Professor Nigel Biggar, for an insightful conversation focused on crucial ethical, historical, and philosophical questions. They discuss war and whether it can be justified, the history of the world’s greatest empires and slavery within those empires, the British empire’s unbalanced reputation, rights and wrongs of colonisation, academic dishonesty in universities and more.
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.
#imperialism #colonisation #oxford
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Can war be justified? 1:57
Is Putin unplugged from reality? 5:54
Relative vs Absolute Morality 7:45
What's wrong with rights? 10:30
Personal vs societal virtue 18:51
The British Empire's reputation 21:37
Are Empires Unethical? 24:52
Slavery in Empires 34:23
The colonisation of Australia 41:54
Can colonisation be beneficial? 46:50
Academic dishonesty 49:40
Free thought in universities 51:55
The British Empire in WW2 53:50
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Nigel Biggar
/ nigelbiggar

[@MrNegative57]

You should interview Dr Thomas Sowell, before it's too late he's getting old. He should collaborate with him. Great interview. People judge yesterday by today's standards and totally forget what the world was like historically. Very convenient.

[@chopincam-robertpark6857]

John strikes gold again, I feel like my brain has had a clean re-boot after his shows.

[@Brommear]

Any descendants of indigenous society ruled by the British should thank their gods for not having had the Spanish or Ottoman empires rule them! Thank you for this great interview! I read about Dr Biggar in Douglas Murray's War on the West.

[@stevenrichardson1843]

Can't thank you both enough, wonderful stuff. Sadly the people who need to hear this the most will not listen.

[@julianrogerhorsfield2962]

Hi Steven Richardson I have shared this to Facebook already. Maybe others will be willing to disseminate this interview also.

[@stevenrichardson1843]

@@julianrogerhorsfield2962 The small number of views is disappointing but anything that raises the profile of these two gentlemen is a service to culture. Have a good day mate, thanks for the reply.

[@scroggins100]

I am getting on in years now...However, I do recall that the British Indian Army Officers before 1946 were a cut above those in the regular British Army. Indeed, to this day the British Gurkha Officer has to master much to truly bond with his men. Further, the Colonial Office Civil Servants of Empire were the very top of the tree from the Foreign Office. Many stayed on after independence from UK to facilitate transfer of power.. One only has to look at how many countries remain in the Commonwealth and retain British Law and Civil Service. Many retain British style schools and education and where would our NHS be without Commonwealth Nurses and Doctors. I do not think the British Empire, particularly in it later stages, was a malignant thing. Every time i get the Train in India, or watch the Pakistan Army parade I note their resistance to change from the Regiments of the Raj. When I served in the RAF we had many chaps from the Commonwealth who were just as qualified as our regulars, having completed the relevant course in their country of origin or in UK.

[@VR46314]

Thanks for your service ❤ 🇬🇧

[@vatsmith8759]

I cannot agree with his views on not using our right to free speech to ridicule ridiculous beliefs for fear of someone taking offence.

[@mjlirette9297]

Did he say in the west we have a free media? Which west is he talking about? I am at 3 minutes plus and am already turned off/

[@vaunmalone3064]

Ditto. If anything, Covid taught us that we do not have a free media, and our freedoms were taken away! He's just part of the establishment. It's all blah blah from here imo

[@easyrider7021]

Very timely, and significant. The demonisation of the British Empire is unhinged and unbalanced. There were astonishing achievements along the way that benefit millions today. Just see how many people from around the world still rush to London to learn, to do business, and to be inspired. Well done John Anderson and Nigel Biggar.

[@thehound9638]

​@S B The cure for smallpox, creation of penicillin, industrial revolution, abolishment of international slavery, the founding of several new scientific disciplines etc. These are more important than anything that happened in Ireland! They benefitted the world and made it a better place!

[@krazytroutcatcher]

Of course you know when Germany unified in 1871, the British were deeply concerned with a United Germania suddenly competing on a economic scale, 15 years later Britain hitting recession due to Europe buying German goods rather than British. Roll on another 30 years and the defeat of Germany was used to part German land out to other countries, losing their natural resources, the Treaty of Versailles being signed under duress by the British starving almost one million Germans to death in a food blockade. And hey-ho, when Germany kicks off 20 years later the British are up in arms about it, a monster they created.

[@srisivaraman8063]

well industrialisation is the reason we are seeing global warming and permanent change of climate. the empire had its imprint for a mere 200 years out of a probably 10000 years of human settlements and civilisation. So yes capitalism has concentrated wealth and funnelled it into knowledge but will it unravel the world remains to be seen.

[@spartha1980]

Yeah right...it does not matter that millions of people were killed on the way.

[@makeamericanativeamericana7436]

@S B The treatment of my native ancestors at the hands of these Saxon Christian thugs says otherwise too!

[@oliveoil7642]

In Canada we Do Not have a free media!😩Trudo has paid them off and we see very little critical journalism ! However I do agree with him on Empire being a mixed blessings!

[@patrickcrowther9195]

A very interesting and nuanced discussion. The conversation started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ended on a positive note remembering the British Empire’s success in resisting Nazi aggression. I am of the opinion that greater recognition over the intervening decades of the massive contribution and sacrifices made by the Russians in winning the Second World War might have reduced tensions during the Cold War. Not to belittle our sacrifices, but they weren’t the only ones.

[@mh82100]

"... in the west we have a free media.." 🤣😅. That's a good one 👍 👌. We have a corporate media with the chiselled narrative that accompanies it

[@harryselwind]

He didn't say it wasn't owned or biased; he said it was free, by which he clearly meant it was not run by the state, contrasting the situation with Russia. And he's right. If you want to set up a media company to report things how you see them, you are free to do that.

[@julianrogerhorsfield2962]

Fantastic. So encouraging standing up for your viewpoint and personal belief in the face of such strident popular abuse. Long may Oxford, where my father was a scholar, encompass academics of the integrity of Professor Biggar.

[@pauljermyn5909]

I stopped watching as soon as he said he trusted the Western media.....

[@isabelhernaez4617]

It's true, that was a bit of an unfortunate comment!😅

[@peterdollins3610]

It is not a question of irritating people but of showing up cruel medieval practices thoughout the Islamic world being imported into the West that we have an absolute right to comment on & police in our societies and criticise at their source.

[@Frohicky1]

Why is Oxford admitting substandard students, and employing substandard academics?

[@casperdog777]

excellent conversation , balanced, nuanced, enlightened. Nigel Biggar is super and thank you John for inviting him onto your network. 10 out of 10. Thank you.

[@Gorbyrev]

Excellent work. Every revisionist doctrine or claim about the past needs to be subjected to the "compared to what, where, when or whom?" question.

[@seanmoran2743]

John should speak with Col Douglas Macgregor Retired about US Foreign Policy and Ukraine

[@tonyforeman9502]

What about John Mearsheimer's perspective on Ukraine? Or Senator Richard Black's?

[@eleanorkett1129]

What an outstanding conversation. Legal rights as well as morality to uphold those rights.

[@kaylenehousego8929]

I need to listen to this conversation again.

[@kaylenehousego8929]

Done....the professor is completely woke. Educated and knowledgeable perhaps ? But the fact remains.

[@louisgiokas2206]

On the Hebdo issue I totally disagree. Look at the number of anti-Christian items that are often published. The Muslim community is overly sensitive. They can certainly criticize members of their own community who transgress, but not others.

[@almostafa4725]

Christianity is dead, so that’s a false equivalency

[@louisgiokas2206]

@@almostafa4725 Wrong.

[@tonyegan4651]

Excellent discussion thank you both. Tony, Brisbane

[@artfuldodger9312]

I will always say the British Empire was a force for good. I am extremely proud to be English and loved our empire.

[@williampaz2092]

I am an American and I agree with you. In fact I have ALWAYS thought the British Empire did infinitely more good than evil.

[@rakadus]

Like Tony Blair being knighted for his role in the Iraq war!

[@EarthForces]

@@rakadus by that time any leftists running Britain is essentially a deceiver and a traitor. The Empire was long gone anyways by his time.

[@bobbyuk5866]

@@rakadus He didn't get the knighthood for the Iraq War. Most people in the UK think Blair is a war criminal,and shouldn't have received a knighthood.

[@uhura647]

​​@@rakadus These westerners are mostly ignorant about the freedom struggle of India. They don't know anything about the cellular jail at Andaman ,Rowlatt act ,vernacular press act ,Ilbert bill controversy ,criminal tribes act of 1871 . They don't know anything about the ghadar party ,home rule league, Swadeshi movement, Birsa Munda ,Lala Lajpat Rai etc .

[@xDELFYonceagain]

Looking forward to this.

[@philopapos]

Great discussion. Kudos to Prof. Biggar. Western society has really gotten prone to misrepresenting its own history.

[@academicreviews]

Wonderful peroration by John Anderson to end this utterly illuminating discussion.

[@gerhard7323]

Great discussion. Thoroughly enjoyed. Lots to think about. All I would say, given the opening regarding Ukraine with which I struggled to agree, is get John Mearsheimer on John Anderson if you can.

[@RobRobertson1000]

Wonderful conversation again John. Thank you. Have you ever thought of approaching Vishal Mangalwadi for a conversation (The Author of 'The Book that Made Your World')

[@warnerchandler9826]

I was also going to recommend Vishal Mangalwadi's Y T channel for a historian's take on the Bible's influence through the involvement of the British in India. He has a series of video lectures called How the Bible Made Modern India. Very enlightening!

[@robertaspindale2531]

Your guest hasn't fully answered the question about Ukraine's persecution of Russian in the Donbass region. 14,000 are said to have been murdered since 2014. Yet he doesn't refer to this widespread allegation. His reliance on Westerm media makes his opinion questionable.

[@drstrangelove4998]

I’ve not heard of this before, where are your sources Robert?

[@StigHelmer]

​@@drstrangelove4998 The 14,000 number is sources from the UN and include both civilians and liberation fighters.

[@billhesford6098]

These people don't say stuff ignorantly. I don't trust people who trust the media.

[@julianrogerhorsfield2962]

This interview was concerned with the good and ills of empire and cannot go into the specifics of current politics. It concerned Man and his Rights at a time when Rights are being promoted popularly with out any consideration of responsibilities. You are referring to an Oxford Professor at probably the best university in the world. His view is more than opinion or idle speculation. It is backed up by historical fact and a great deal of academic research. It is all too easy to criticise in the light of our own political and social bent and drag the discussion down to the lowest possible common denominator. He has spoken up bravely, in my opinion, to give us his views, whilst outside is a pack of braying donkeys, all clamouring for 15 minutes of Facebook fame. If you are questioning his sources I suggest you go to Oxford and see if you can do any better.

[@lieshtmeiser5542]

@@StigHelmer "The 14,000 number is sources from the UN and include both civilians and liberation fighters." A lot more civilians will be killed and wounded after it escalated into a full blown war. Russia will almost certainly lose, one way or another. Ukraine has too much of the world allied to it.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

The British Empire spread civilisation throughout the world. It was at least on par the the Roman Empire on that count. It is a shame that Professors that just adore Rome (Mary Beard) despise the British Empire.

[@sebastiankyte7411]

A thoroughly enjoyable discussion on a misunderstood topic.

[@jerejarvinen625]

Great content!

[@baryntn41]

Excellent stuff.

[@marc21091]

It is worth listening to the short segment of the conversation about 'virtues' - 18:50 to 21:38. Prof Biggar discusses the real concept of 'virtues' and compares it with what is pejoratively called 'virtue signalling'.

[@Happyheretic2308]

Try the lecture by David Starkey

[@johndutchman]

Egads, he's got it all goofy from the start.

[@sheiladowling1874]

His comments on Charlie Hebdo negate everything else he says. He reminds me of Shirley Williams on Question Time over the fatwa on Salman Rushdie which was so famously criticised by Christopher Hitchens.

[@krileayn]

Wow wouldn't want to mix up the first letters of his name and surname.

[@rayboish]

There is hope for the future as Professor Biggar says, I think that is because people just want the truth. Be it good or bad.

[@alansutton9388]

Amen

[@notlimey]

I wonder how Nigel Biggar's work on the British Empire compares to that of Niall Ferguson

[@marc21091]

This interview was recorded in July 2022, as it is stated to those watching in early February 2023 to be 'six months ago'. This needs to be kept in mind when watching the first part of the interview about the Ukraine war, which had been going on for 5 months at that time.

[@moeuramo]

I think the phrase should be instead of “modernity” It should be the societies with industrialisation where bound to hit Australia etc, it hit country after country in Europe first with various levels of battles ,wars etc and then ricocheted around the world .

[@anuragsinha2013]

Is there a good case for colonization of Jamaica, Barbados, Ghana and South Africa. My friends in Africa really want to see that video.

[@lilithsmith1290]

I am in the good company!

[@garychartier8365]

Nigel's voice intermittently reminds me of Pierce Brosnan's

[@ruthhayes2942]

In USA 🇺🇸 citizens have the right to: the pursuit of happiness 😊 Respect is the responsible way to have the happiness we r pursuing... with/in our lives; Jobs, family, friends, ... ect . I pray 🙏 for England 🇬🇧 and the Queen 👸 🙏 🙌 Allelu'jah HeavenlyFather ❤️ 🙏 💙 🙏

[@VR46314]

Unfortunately it’s king ** Coronation soon don’t miss it and future reference 🇬🇧 flag is United Kingdom which is 4 nations , England is one of them🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 this is the flag.

[@kaymoto4023]

Imagine trying to cancel someone of this gentleman’s caliber!

[@HagiaSophia1952]

Professor Biggar asks (in connection with the printing of cartoons of Mohammed, by the staff of 'Charlie Hebdo') "what good the Editor was hoping to achieve?" (14:30). Notice how he refers to "the prophet Mohammed", rather than "Islam's prophet Mohammed". This is where the exceptionally learned Professor loses me to his dissembling in the face of Islam. 'Good' may have come from the fact that the publication reinforced our 'western liberal' values in the face of the alien culture - deliberately implanted into our midst by politicians - which is Islam. 'Good' may also have been achieved in one or two devout Muslims realising that the skies do not fall in when you satirise God......let alone a mere prophet! 'Good' may also have come from some Muslims realising that the 'quasi-religion' they follow (actually a political project) is truly evil: although that should have become apparent through the actions of the exceptionally devout Muslims who committed the atrocity. The moment Professor Biggar inserted that fatal 'but' into his free speech argument, I was alarmed by what he was about to say. This is NOT a man who believes in 'freedom-of-speech'.

[@isabelhernaez4617]

I think it was an exquisite interview, however I have to agree with you, I'm still surprised by those comments. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@benamarahabib5914]

شكرا.لكم.ويدد.الله.خطاكم.الي.سوي.السبيل.الف.يكرا.لكم

[@luisarangel4851]

What does this talk have to do with the British Empire? Maybe the title is wrong?

[@ausforaus7617]

I have a right to have a right ...... right?

[@shaggyrandy1264]

Moral on

[@b.alexanderjohnstone9774]

Real rights, speech, conscience, equality before law, etc, are not things which cost money. They exist even if there was no money left in the world. Universal health care, to give an example, might be a good, legitimate, even essential policy, but it is NOT a right. It is contingent on finding someone to pay for it, therefore infringing the rights of others to quiet enjoyment of their property.

[@nonfictionone]

This man sounds uncannily like christopher hitchens. I was listening whilst doing something else and he is very close

[@alisteredmond2329]

Debatably in regard to a free Western media.Tell that to the people in Donbas

[@mauriceoreilly9955]

On the question of legal rights (to publish, for example) and the moral duty to exercise self-restraint, the point relating to Charlie Hebdo is well made. does the same moral duty apply to governments (such as those of the UK and USA) when they seek to change what they perceive to be evil regimes? Discuss this in relation to Saddam Hussain's Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. There are, of course, plenty of other examples of attempted regime change by the governments of these countries and others ...

[@grizzlygrizzle]

Another point about rights: there is a big difference between negative rights (freedoms from interference, as in the U.S. Bill of Rights) and physical rights (entitlements to food, shelter, clothing, medical care, etc.). The former do not encounter problems with competition, because one person's exercise of those rights don't come at the expense of another's. The latter, however, require involuntary surrender of wealth by some to supply another, and that, only when the area in which such "rights" are considered valid is a relatively wealthy area. The notion of physical rights, as set forth by the UN, makes all poor countries violators of "human rights" in virtue of their inability to supply those physical goods and services. There's a fundamental error in the conceptualization of rights to physical goods and services.

[@harryselwind]

I wonder which of the academics who tried to cancel Nigel Biggar acted from their own beliefs or out of cowardice. And which of the two types were the most disgusting.

[@chrispaul4599]

Don't pull down the old Imperial statues, so that one can spit on them in passing.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

"Speak truth... but don't mock". Charlie Hebdo did speak truth and mockery is how cartoons have expressed that truth since the printing press. Nigel Bigger here expresses a disgraceful surrender to the intolerance of Islam.

[@richardwheatley7194]

One wonders if the good Prof would be less inclined to engage in verbal gymastics in a different setting.

[@sikandarsahib7004]

what gymnastics?

[@julianrogerhorsfield2962]

Maybe a lap dancing club?

[@ironsword7]

Can any nuclear power just do anything they want and get away with it because challenging them "might" start a nuclear war. It seems like a catch-22 and eventually it'll end in nuclear war anyway, otherwise how do you put a stop to an agressive country.

[@claudiodeugenio]

24:00 minutes of boredom, disinterest, and pain and then: "Western colonialism, and not at least British, was in many respects humanitarian and liberal, [...] and it can find reasons for pride." Can one be more self-absorbed?

[@zeno2501]

Biggar is brilliant.

[@lollypop2413]

Im sorry but your guest lost me in first few minutes as his ukrane statements were based on msm sources which are known to be biased...his views are very biased and ignore statements and constitutional changes made by President Zelensky that outlawed russian language being spoken by citizens of ukraine....and additionally supported the celebration of the Nazi Bandera as a national hero. The subsequent discussion therefore became moot. Im disappointed Sir.

[@indoman8887]

Zelensky never banned the use of the Russian language, he inherited the law rushed through parliament by his predecessor Poroshenko, as part of his unsuccessful re-election campaign, to prioritize the use the use of the Ukrainian language in the country. The Russian language is not banned from use in Ukraine to this day. As for Bandera, he was a Ukrainian nationalist who was locked up by the Germans in July, 1941, the month after they invaded the Soviet Union, and not released until September, 1944 by which time he was not of much use to them. He was certainly an unsavory person, but calling him a Nazi is a stretch.

[@xxvxxv5588]

Russia itself has many nationalist heroes or glorified Soviet communists who are not necessarily nationalists but are often problematic from the point of view of Ukrainians.

[@yashamanning4712]

Umm... Umm... Umm...

[@srisivaraman8063]

the opening excerpt had a clip on why empire was good and provided an example of slavery. What the British did was to abolish slavery but replaced it with indentured labour which was slavery lite. By doing so they undercut the other European powers. So he is just justifying the sins of empire which is expected from a citizen of an imperial power.

[@matthewstokes1608]

Sei Savaraman - there has never been a time without work for survival. You work to eat… you work to ha e a shelter and to stay warm - and to protect your loved ones… Once it was permanently just a case of survival - from predators and or to find food oneself… So don’t keep trying to imply that before the “big bad white man” there was just ease and peace, work is normal

[@srisivaraman8063]

@@matthewstokes1608 I only said don't justify colonialism or empire.

[@mrg7405]

@@srisivaraman8063 why not?

[@matthewstokes1608]

@@srisivaraman8063 but you see the Mogul, the Ottoman, the Mesopotamian, the Persian, the Roman, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch, the French - and then the British - and the USA - all empires rose and fell... British Empire no longer exists - do you people ever understand? You won... Now we r weak - and you face China. Good luck.

[@seanmoran2743]

@@srisivaraman8063 Mogul Empire ?

[@chrispaul4599]

A Human Being has Human Rights, but Human Personhood is earned by Character. African Morality is Celebrated, say, at a Funeral for Attributes shown in life and Natural Law Evolved from this through Moses, Hamurabi etc. A Criminal is buried without Ceremony, but Natural Law had deteriorated, say, in Babylon by the time of The Captivity in 600BC, after 1200 years of Talmudic Type Lawyers Casuistry, from the time of Hamurabi. Jesus Christ incarnated as Logos, to represent the Mosaic Natural Law that came out of Africa in a Form that Restored that Mosaic Law and set Standards for Moral Absolutes. However the Cynic President of Business International, Incorporated into the Rothschild Roundtable "Economist" Magazine Intelligence Unit said:" there is no basis for Morality in Rational Thought", a very Post Modern View, where Social Contract is Military Backed, Rules Based Order.

[@artfuldodger9312]

I'll listen to this charactor untill he says something bad about our empire, then I will turn him off.

[@howardfox6660]

No war. This guy has bs

[@anaba6121]

The correct title would be: The British Empire Propaganda.

[@AJWRAJWR]

Your username should be: Glory of the Empire denier.

[@sikandarsahib7004]

Nothing he says is misleading or innaccurate.

[@anaba6121]

@@AJWRAJWR Of course, Glory for killing millions people in India, Australia , America? or Glory for concentration camps invention?

[@mrkimble2618]

The British Empire was the biggest force for good in the history of the world. Fact.