Antony Flew - Revision history

Melissa Jones: /* Right wing activism */ clarification

2012-10-23T00:46:11Z

Right wing activism: clarification

Tom Mills: /* Right wing activism */

2010-08-16T15:54:49Z

Right wing activism

David: /* Publications */ publications list adapted from Wikipedia

2010-08-16T08:14:08Z

Publications: publications list adapted from Wikipedia

David at 08:12, 16 August 2010

2010-08-16T08:12:09Z

Tom Mills: /* Right wing activism */

2009-01-27T11:26:25Z

Right wing activism

Tom Mills: /* Biography */

2009-01-27T11:22:26Z

Biography

Tom Mills: /* Right wing activism */ Civitas

2009-01-27T11:17:06Z

Right wing activism: Civitas

Tom Mills: /* Right wing activism */

2009-01-21T10:49:55Z

Right wing activism

Tom Mills: /* Right wing activism */

2009-01-20T23:11:15Z

Right wing activism

Tom Mills: /* Right wing activism */

2009-01-20T22:50:03Z

Right wing activism

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 A good example of Flew's hostility to popular movements comes from a letter he wrote to ''The Observer'' in May 1963. Following the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's march to Aldermaston, ''The Observer'' had reported research by National Opinion Polls finding that 57 per cent of the inhabitants of Greater London were in favour of the marchers’ aims.  Flew wrote to the paper complaining that respondents were probably not aware of the true aims of CND: ‘They may all too easily have overlooked that what crucially distinguishes the C.N.D. from most of the rest of us, is not as its title suggests, a desire for nuclear disarmament but, what it conceals, that the C.N.D is prepared to have us (and the West as a whole) disarm unilaterally. It is of course, this aspect of the C.N.D which commends it to the Communist World!’ <ref>Letters to the Editor, ''The Observer'', 5 May 1963</ref>
-In 1975 Flew joined a new conservative organisation called the [[Dicey Trust]], named after the influential British constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey.  The group was set up to ‘encourage the rule of law’ through lectures and presentations at schools and colleges. <ref>'Trust to back rule of law', ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref> It was set up by, among others, the Conservative MP [[Rhodes Boyson]].  Aside from Flew, other members of the Trust included the  chartered surveyor [[Francis Bennion]], and [[Gerald Howarth]], who would later become a Conservative MP. Howarth and Bennion were also members of [[Freedom Under the Law]], an organisation first formed to counter the anti-apartheid movements and its boycott campaigns in particular. After the launch of the [[Dicey Trust]], [[Gerald Howarth|Howarth]] told the press that he and his collaborators were ‘alarmed at the number of young people who seemed to predominate in movements which were unconstitutional.’  He referred to a ‘steady drip technique being used to threaten the rule of law’ and ‘a systematic attempt to discredit the police.’ <ref>’Trust to back rule of law’, ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref>  ''The Guardian'' said the Trust would apply for charitable status and that it hoped to raise £100,000. Another prominent right wing intellectual [[Max Beloff]] later became Chairman of the Trust.
+In 1975 Flew joined a new conservative organisation called the [[Dicey Trust]], named after the influential British constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey.  The group was set up to ‘encourage the rule of law’ through lectures and presentations at schools and colleges. <ref>'Trust to back rule of law', ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref> It was set up by, among others, the barrister [[Francis Bennion]] and Conservative MP [[Rhodes Boyson]]. Aside from Flew, other members of the Trust included [[Gerald Howarth]], who would later become a Conservative MP. Howarth and Bennion were also members of [[Freedom Under the Law]], an organisation first formed to counter the anti-apartheid movements and its boycott campaigns in particular. After the launch of the [[Dicey Trust]], [[Gerald Howarth|Howarth]] told the press that he and his collaborators were ‘alarmed at the number of young people who seemed to predominate in movements which were unconstitutional.’  He referred to a ‘steady drip technique being used to threaten the rule of law’ and ‘a systematic attempt to discredit the police.’ <ref>’Trust to back rule of law’, ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref>  ''The Guardian'' said the Trust would apply for charitable status and that it hoped to raise £100,000. Another prominent right wing intellectual [[Max Beloff]] later became Chairman of the Trust in 1980.
 From 1975-1977 Flew was a member of a study group behind a report published in 1977 by the intelligence connected [[Institute for the Study of Conflict]] alleging a Marxist penetration into British academia. <ref>‘Gould report calls for rebuttal of attacks on education in Britain by extreme radicals’, ''The Times'', Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 4; Issue 60114; col A</ref> Considering the ideological orientation of the study group, ''The Observer'' commented that: ‘The study group seems to believe with Professor Hayek and his disciple, Sir [[Keith Joseph]], that true liberty is possible only in a capitalist, free market civilisation.’ <ref>Bernard Crick, ‘Red sails on the campus’, ''The Observer'', 25 September 1977</ref>

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 A good example of Flew's hostility to popular movements comes from a letter he wrote to ''The Observer'' in May 1963. Following the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's march to Aldermaston, ''The Observer'' had reported research by National Opinion Polls finding that 57 per cent of the inhabitants of Greater London were in favour of the marchers’ aims.  Flew wrote to the paper complaining that respondents were probably not aware of the true aims of CND: ‘They may all too easily have overlooked that what crucially distinguishes the C.N.D. from most of the rest of us, is not as its title suggests, a desire for nuclear disarmament but, what it conceals, that the C.N.D is prepared to have us (and the West as a whole) disarm unilaterally. It is of course, this aspect of the C.N.D which commends it to the Communist World!’ <ref>Letters to the Editor, ''The Observer'', 5 May 1963</ref>
-In 1975 Flew joined a new conservative organisation called the [[Dicey Trust]], named after the seminal constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey.  The group was set up to ‘encourage the rule of law’ through lectures and presentations at schools and colleges. <ref>'Trust to back rule of law', ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref> It was set up by, among others, the Conservative MP [[Rhodes Boyson]].  Aside from Flew, other members of the Trust included the  chartered surveyor [[Francis Bennion]], and [[Gerald Howarth]], who would later become a Conservative MP. Howarth and Bennion were also members of [[Freedom Under the Law]], an organisation first formed to counter the anti-apartheid movements and its boycott campaigns in particular. After the launch of the [[Dicey Trust]], [[Gerald Howarth|Howarth]] told the press that he and his collaborators were ‘alarmed at the number of young people who seemed to predominate in movements which were unconstitutional.’  He referred to a ‘steady drip technique being used to threaten the rule of law’ and ‘a systematic attempt to discredit the police.’ <ref>’Trust to back rule of law’, ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref>  ''The Guardian'' said the Trust would apply for charitable status and that it hoped to raise £100,000. Another prominent right wing intellectual [[Max Beloff]] later became Chairman of the Trust.
+In 1975 Flew joined a new conservative organisation called the [[Dicey Trust]], named after the influential British constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey.  The group was set up to ‘encourage the rule of law’ through lectures and presentations at schools and colleges. <ref>'Trust to back rule of law', ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref> It was set up by, among others, the Conservative MP [[Rhodes Boyson]].  Aside from Flew, other members of the Trust included the  chartered surveyor [[Francis Bennion]], and [[Gerald Howarth]], who would later become a Conservative MP. Howarth and Bennion were also members of [[Freedom Under the Law]], an organisation first formed to counter the anti-apartheid movements and its boycott campaigns in particular. After the launch of the [[Dicey Trust]], [[Gerald Howarth|Howarth]] told the press that he and his collaborators were ‘alarmed at the number of young people who seemed to predominate in movements which were unconstitutional.’  He referred to a ‘steady drip technique being used to threaten the rule of law’ and ‘a systematic attempt to discredit the police.’ <ref>’Trust to back rule of law’, ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref>  ''The Guardian'' said the Trust would apply for charitable status and that it hoped to raise £100,000. Another prominent right wing intellectual [[Max Beloff]] later became Chairman of the Trust.
 From 1975-1977 Flew was a member of a study group behind a report published in 1977 by the intelligence connected [[Institute for the Study of Conflict]] alleging a Marxist penetration into British academia. <ref>‘Gould report calls for rebuttal of attacks on education in Britain by extreme radicals’, ''The Times'', Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 4; Issue 60114; col A</ref> Considering the ideological orientation of the study group, ''The Observer'' commented that: ‘The study group seems to believe with Professor Hayek and his disciple, Sir [[Keith Joseph]], that true liberty is possible only in a capitalist, free market civilisation.’ <ref>Bernard Crick, ‘Red sails on the campus’, ''The Observer'', 25 September 1977</ref>
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 Flew is currently a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the right wing think tank[[Civitas]]. <ref>Civitas, [http://www.civitas.org.uk/books/about.php About Us], (accessed 27 January 2009)</ref>
 ==Publications==

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 Flew is currently a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the right wing think tank[[Civitas]]. <ref>Civitas, [http://www.civitas.org.uk/books/about.php About Us], (accessed 27 January 2009)</ref>
 ==Publications==
 *Anthony Flew [ Academic Purposes and Academic Freedoms], ''Educational Notes No. 6, London: Libertarian Alliance, 1991.
 ==Notes==

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 Flew is currently a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the right wing think tank[[Civitas]]. <ref>Civitas, [http://www.civitas.org.uk/books/about.php About Us], (accessed 27 January 2009)</ref>
+==Publications==
 ==Notes==

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 ==Right wing activism==
-Like many other intellectuals Flew was alarmed by the emergence of the 'New Left' in the 1960s and the trade union activism of the 1970s. He became closely associated with the right's counter offensive and was involved in several think-tanks that emerged from the mid-70s onwards advocating the deregulation of business, the cutting of public services and the curtailment of trade union power and a more repressive state apparatus.
+Like many other intellectuals Flew was alarmed by the emergence of the 'New Left' in the 1960s and the trade union activism of the 1970s. He became closely associated with the right's counter offensive and was involved in several think-tanks that emerged from the mid-70s onwards advocating the deregulation of business, the cutting of public services and the curtailment of trade union power, as well as the development of a more repressive state apparatus.
 A good example of Flew's hostility to popular movements comes from a letter he wrote to ''The Observer'' in May 1963. Following the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's march to Aldermaston, ''The Observer'' had reported research by National Opinion Polls finding that 57 per cent of the inhabitants of Greater London were in favour of the marchers’ aims.  Flew wrote to the paper complaining that respondents were probably not aware of the true aims of CND: ‘They may all too easily have overlooked that what crucially distinguishes the C.N.D. from most of the rest of us, is not as its title suggests, a desire for nuclear disarmament but, what it conceals, that the C.N.D is prepared to have us (and the West as a whole) disarm unilaterally. It is of course, this aspect of the C.N.D which commends it to the Communist World!’ <ref>Letters to the Editor, ''The Observer'', 5 May 1963</ref>
-In 1975 Flew joined a new conservative organisation called the [[Dicey Trust]], named after the seminal constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey.  The group was set up to ‘encourage the rule of law’ through lectures and presentations at schools and colleges. <ref>'Trust to back rule of law', ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref> It was set up by, among others, the Conservative MP [[Rhodes Boyson]].  Aside from Flew, other members of the Trust included the  chartered surveyor [[Francis Bennion]], and [[Gerald Howarth]], who would later become a Conservative MP. Howarth and Bennion were also members of [[Freedom Under the Law]], an organisation first formed to counter the anti-apartheid movements and its boycott campaigns in particular. After the launch of the [[Dicey Trust]], [[Gerald Howarth|Howarth]] told the press that he and his collaborators were ‘alarmed at the number of young people who seemed to predominate in movements which were unconstitutional.’  He referred to a ‘steady drip technique being used to threaten the rule of law’ and ‘a systematic attempt to discredit the police.’ <ref>’Trust to back rule of law’, ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref>  ''The Guardian'' said the Trust would apply for charitable status and that it hoped to raise £100,000.
+In 1975 Flew joined a new conservative organisation called the [[Dicey Trust]], named after the seminal constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey.  The group was set up to ‘encourage the rule of law’ through lectures and presentations at schools and colleges. <ref>'Trust to back rule of law', ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref> It was set up by, among others, the Conservative MP [[Rhodes Boyson]].  Aside from Flew, other members of the Trust included the  chartered surveyor [[Francis Bennion]], and [[Gerald Howarth]], who would later become a Conservative MP. Howarth and Bennion were also members of [[Freedom Under the Law]], an organisation first formed to counter the anti-apartheid movements and its boycott campaigns in particular. After the launch of the [[Dicey Trust]], [[Gerald Howarth|Howarth]] told the press that he and his collaborators were ‘alarmed at the number of young people who seemed to predominate in movements which were unconstitutional.’  He referred to a ‘steady drip technique being used to threaten the rule of law’ and ‘a systematic attempt to discredit the police.’ <ref>’Trust to back rule of law’, ''The Guardian'', 11  March 1975 pg. 7</ref>  ''The Guardian'' said the Trust would apply for charitable status and that it hoped to raise £100,000. Another prominent right wing intellectual [[Max Beloff]] later became Chairman of the Trust.
 From 1975-1977 Flew was a member of a study group behind a report published in 1977 by the intelligence connected [[Institute for the Study of Conflict]] alleging a Marxist penetration into British academia. <ref>‘Gould report calls for rebuttal of attacks on education in Britain by extreme radicals’, ''The Times'', Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 4; Issue 60114; col A</ref> Considering the ideological orientation of the study group, ''The Observer'' commented that: ‘The study group seems to believe with Professor Hayek and his disciple, Sir [[Keith Joseph]], that true liberty is possible only in a capitalist, free market civilisation.’ <ref>Bernard Crick, ‘Red sails on the campus’, ''The Observer'', 25 September 1977</ref>
-''The Times'' reported the report’s findings that: ‘radical minorities...often disagreed with each other, but they had a common distaste, bordering at times upon sheer hatred for the liberal, tolerant society in which they moved.’ <ref>'Marxists attacking education', ''The Times'', Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 1; Issue 60114; col E</ref> ''The Times'' published extracts of the report, but also criticised it as having an ‘alarmist tone which goes beyond his evidence.’ <ref>’The Enemies of Liberty’, The Times, Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 15; Issue 60114; col A</ref>
+''The Times'' reported the report’s findings that: ‘radical minorities...often disagreed with each other, but they had a common distaste, bordering at times upon sheer hatred for the liberal, tolerant society in which they moved.’ <ref>'Marxists attacking education', ''The Times'', Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 1; Issue 60114; col E</ref> ''The Times'' published extracts of the report, but also criticised it as having an ‘alarmist tone which goes beyond [the main author's] evidence.’ <ref>’The Enemies of Liberty’, ''The Times'', Wednesday, Sep 21, 1977; pg. 15; Issue 60114; col A</ref>
-During that same period Flew also became involved in a number of influential neoliberal think-tanks which, as fellow conservative intellectual and [[Dicey Trust]] Chairman [[Max Beloff]] put it, "undoubtedly helped to make collectivism unrespectable again." <ref>Lord Beloff, 'Tories must confront a painful paradox', ''The Times'', 23 August 1993</ref> He was a founder member of the Education Group of the [[Centre for Policy Studies]] (founded in 1974), the Council of the [[Freedom Association]] (founded in 1975), and the Academic Council of the [[Adam Smith Institute]] (founded in 1977). <ref>'FLEW, Prof, Antony Garrard Newton', ''Debrett's People of Today'' (Debrett's Peerage Ltd, November 2007</ref>
+During that same period Flew also became involved in a number of influential neoliberal think-tanks which, as [[Dicey Trust]] Chairman [[Max Beloff]] put it, "undoubtedly helped to make collectivism unrespectable again." <ref>Lord Beloff, 'Tories must confront a painful paradox', ''The Times'', 23 August 1993</ref> Flew was a founder member of the Education Group of the [[Centre for Policy Studies]] (founded in 1974), the Council of the [[Freedom Association]] (founded in 1975), and the Academic Council of the [[Adam Smith Institute]] (founded in 1977). <ref>'FLEW, Prof, Antony Garrard Newton', ''Debrett's People of Today'' (Debrett's Peerage Ltd, November 2007</ref>
-In the late 1980s Flew became an active vice-president of the [[Western Goals Institute]], a pressure group opposed to immigration and free trade, and supportive of apartheid.  Flew was also a committee member of [[Majority Rights]],  alongside [[Ray Honeyford]] and [[Tim Janman]].
+In the late 1980s Flew became an active vice-president of the [[Western Goals Institute]], a pressure group opposed to immigration and free trade, and supportive of apartheid.  Flew was also a committee member of [[Majority Rights]], alongside [[Ray Honeyford]] and [[Tim Janman]]. He has contributed to ''[[Right Now!]]'' magazine, the ''[[Salisbury Review]]'', and publications of the [[Libertarian Alliance]], the [[Social Affairs Unit]], the [[Society for Individual Freedom]] and the [[Institute of Economic Affairs]].
 In 1995 Flew authored a report for the [[Adam Smith Institute]] criticisng GCSE exams for being too easy, and recommending the reintroduction of O-levels. Flew proposed in the report a '10-point plan' to 'revitalise and lead to vital improvements in the education system.' <ref>'Right wing's 10-point plan for schools', ''The Independent'', 19 April 1995</ref>
 Flew is currently a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the right wing think tank[[Civitas]]. <ref>Civitas, [http://www.civitas.org.uk/books/about.php About Us], (accessed 27 January 2009)</ref>
 ==Notes==

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 Flew was born in London in 1923, the son of a Methodist minister Rev. Dr R. N. Flew.  He was educated at St. Faith's Preparatory School in Cambridge followed by Kingswood School in Bath. <ref>‘FLEW, Prof. Antony Garrard Newton’, ''Who's Who 2009'', A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2008</ref>
-During the Second World War he studied Japanese at the [[School of Oriental and African Studies]], and was a Royal Air Force intelligence officer.
+During the Second World War he studied Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and served as a Royal Air Force intelligence officer. After the war, Flew achieved a first class degree in ''Literae Humaniores'' at St John's College, Oxford. He was a graduate student of Gilbert Ryle, and one of the more prominent in a group identified with ordinary language philosophy.
 He was a Lecturer in Philosophy at Christ Church, Oxford from 1949 to 1950, and followed this with four years as a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, and twenty years as Professor of Philosophy at the University of Keele.  Between 1973 and 1983 he was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading, and on his retirement took up a half-time post for a few years at York University, Toronto. <ref>‘FLEW, Prof. Antony Garrard Newton’, ''Who's Who 2009'', A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2008</ref>

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:17, 27 January 2009
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	In 1995 Flew authored a report for the [[Adam Smith Institute]] criticisng GCSE exams for being too easy, and recommending the reintroduction of O-levels. Flew proposed in the report a '10-point plan' to 'revitalise and lead to vital improvements in the education system.' <ref>'Right wing's 10-point plan for schools', ''The Independent'', 19 April 1995</ref>		In 1995 Flew authored a report for the [[Adam Smith Institute]] criticisng GCSE exams for being too easy, and recommending the reintroduction of O-levels. Flew proposed in the report a '10-point plan' to 'revitalise and lead to vital improvements in the education system.' <ref>'Right wing's 10-point plan for schools', ''The Independent'', 19 April 1995</ref>
		+
		+	Flew is currently a member of the Academic Advisory Council of the right wing think tank[[Civitas]]. <ref>Civitas, [http://www.civitas.org.uk/books/about.php About Us], (accessed 27 January 2009)</ref>
		+
		+	Academic Advisory Council

	==Notes==		==Notes==