I used to think I had lived life to the fullest. I now think I’m beginning to see what that in fact entails. I grew up in a culture that treasured hard work – industriousness was prized as a norm. To ...More
EJ Insight2024-09-04
A fortnight ago, a student asked me the following question, “Brian, what if one day, AIs could write better op-eds than you?” The jaded and deluded self in me was immediately tempted to retort, “What, ...More
EJ Insight2024-09-03
20 minutes till boarding. 30 people in the queue. 1 exhausted academic tapping frantically away at 1 phone. 4 open counters. 12 closed. 600m worth of walking. 1 connecting bus ride. I was standing in ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-22
If you spoke with a Democrat and a Republican in 2021, there would be an 83% chance that the former told you they believe climate change had already begun, whilst the odds of the latter saying the sam ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-22
We’ve all heard that cliched assertion – “Life is not a race.” After all, it makes sense. Whereas the benchmark for success in a race is to reach the destination as quickly as possible (“Make haste!” ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-16
“And did those feet in ancient time walk upon England's mountains green? And was the holy Lamb of God on England's pleasant pastures seen?” One of my favourite hymns of all time is “Jerusalem” – a glo ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-08
To “call out” injustice – the explicit, unabashed, and vigorous confrontation of injustice, underpinned by the conviction of speaking truth to power – is a practice that first gained considerable conc ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-07
I have written many a time on the phenomenon of sycophancy – that is, attempts by individuals to indulge in “insincere flattery” as a means of advancing their own interests. In ancient Greece, the bac ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-01
I’m planning on tentatively starting a series that looks at a variety of practical ethics puzzles, and the different considerations at play. The following serves as an inaugural piece. Should parents ...More
EJ Insight2024-08-01
One of the most fascinating puzzles I enjoy teaching in philosophy is the Non-Identity Problem. Consider the following: A bureaucrat is deliberating over whether to construct a dam near a village in a ...More
EJ Insight2024-07-24
What are the necessary – though by no means sufficient – ingredients for a successful tourism strategy? There are a couple of criteria that are worthy of consideration: firstly, novelty; secondly, uni ...More
EJ Insight2024-07-24
Over my not particularly long career (thus far), I have had the opportunity and honour of interviewing politicians, statesmen, academics, and thinkers – from near and afar. And what a privileged exper ...More
EJ Insight2024-07-19
“So you’re finally taking an interest in us, are you?” This is a question I oft hear – half in-jest, half a damning indictment – whenever I travel throughout Southeast Asia. The Association of Southea ...More
EJ Insight2024-07-19
There are days when I’d find myself giving lectures for over six hours to a combination of students, friends, peers, and folks who’d find my musings sufficiently interesting to last them for the bette ...More
EJ Insight2024-07-10
A recent piece of news caught my eye. More precisely, it was a video fragment that managed to arrest my attention. In the video, three, bushy-tailed and bright-eyed Hong Kong primary school students w ...More
EJ Insight2024-07-10
I had the pleasure of sharing a panel with several old friends and esteemed colleagues on a panel that revolved around understanding China’s present and future through examining its past. The discussi ...More
EJ Insight2024-06-23
Picture this. You’re on a long-haul flight, with inches of room to spare before you. Before you is a reclining seat and a stubborn tenant who is clearly refusing to hear you, despite your best effort. ...More
EJ Insight2024-06-23
A core part of growing up, is coming to grips with two important facts: Firstly, it is possible for two reasonable individuals – each equipped with sufficient knowledge, insights, and understanding of ...More
EJ Insight2024-06-06
I have had the fortune of witnessing and speaking with many high-achievers – both students and friends alike – who struggle with a common problem: an inability to cope with what they perceive to be fa ...More
EJ Insight2024-06-06
I’ve been asked this question many a time before, “How do I make my CV look stronger?” I’ve had this ask directed to me by young professionals starting out in their careers, seeking to burnish their c ...More
EJ Insight2024-05-26
