The British Empire: Violent & Racist or Moral & Humanitarian? Or Both?
A clip from our longer #SWYSI interview with Prof. Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford and canon of Christ Church Cathedral. Prof. Biggar’s book, “Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning“, provides a new assessment of the British Empire and the West’s colonial record
Prof. Biggar argues that, especially in the Anglosphere, the ‘decolonisation’ movement corrodes the West’s self-confidence by retelling the history of European and American colonial dominance as a litany of racism, exploitation, and massively murderous violence.
Nigel Biggar tests this indictment, addressing the crucial questions in eight chapters: Was the British Empire driven primarily by greed and the lust to dominate? Should we speak of ‘colonialism and slavery’ in the same breath, as if they were identical? Was the Empire essentially racist? How far was it based on the theft of land? Did it involve genocide? Was it driven fundamentally by the motive of economic exploitation? Was undemocratic colonial government necessarily illegitimate? and, Was the Empire essentially violent, and its violence pervasively racist and terroristic?
Biggar makes clear that, like any other long-standing state, the British Empire involved elements of injustice, sometimes appalling. On occasions it was culpably incompetent and presided over moments of dreadful tragedy.
Nevertheless, from the early 1800s the Empire was committed to abolishing the slave trade in the name of a Christian conviction of the basic equality of all human beings. It ended endemic inter-tribal warfare, opened local economies to the opportunities of global trade, moderated the impact of inescapable modernisation, established the rule of law and liberal institutions such as a free press, and spent itself in defeating the murderously racist Nazi and Japanese empires in the Second World War.
As encyclopaedic in historical breadth as it is penetrating in analytical depth, Colonialism offers a moral inquest into the colonial past, forensically contesting damaging falsehoods and thereby helping to rejuvenate faith in the West’s future.
Nigel Biggar’s book ’Colonialism’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 06-02-2023.
To watch the full episode please click here:
---------------
SUBSCRIBE:
If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications)
AUDIO:
If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud.
Soundcloud:
itunes:
SUPPORT/DONATE:
PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY:
You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: #donate
It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations.
JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Web:
F:
Y:
T: (@NewCultureForum)
1 view
4
1
1 month ago 00:10:43 1
DANIEL DUBOIS (UK) vs KEVIN LERENA (SOUTH AFRICA) TKO FIGHT
1 month ago 00:11:51 1
Wolf Alice: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
1 month ago 01:53:01 1
The Next Generation: Engaging Armenian Youth in Diaspora Communities
1 month ago 00:06:05 1
Depeche Mode - Walking In My Shoes ft. BBC Concert Orchestra (Radio 2 Piano Room)
1 month ago 00:12:39 1
Joseph Conners bearhugs Liam Slater 7:40
1 month ago 00:16:14 1
The Next Generation of Ionic Plasma Thrusters (BSI MARK 2)
1 month ago 00:18:15 1
MATT GOODWIN: The Immigration Time Bomb—Elites Won’t Tell You This!
1 month ago 00:00:00 1
Лысый застрял в Dota 2 №11 ( +18 Бывают маты )
1 month ago 00:26:14 1
21 Megalithic sites that will blow your mind!
1 month ago 00:00:30 1
Iron Maiden Announce ’Run For Your Lives’ World Tour 2025/26
1 month ago 00:24:11 10
Best Penguin Moments | BBC Earth
1 month ago 00:03:54 1
NATO ’Surrender’ After Putin’s War Threat; UK, U.S. Block Ukraine From Hitting Russian Territory
1 month ago 00:09:32 1
Putin will ’attack Britain’ if Ukraine uses Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia | Sergei Markov
1 month ago 00:07:17 1
IDRIS feat. Mayra Andrade - Sima Agua (Extended Mix)
1 month ago 00:04:05 1
MICHAEL SCHENKER - Mother Mary feat. SLASH & ERIK GRÖNWALL
1 month ago 00:11:06 1
MICHAEL SCHENKER - Rock Bottom feat. KAI HANSEN
1 month ago 00:03:51 1
ERA - Ameno
1 month ago 00:02:37 1
ONE-MINUTE ENGLISH: dwell on LEARN WITH LEXICAL LAB
1 month ago 00:13:52 1
Mark Knopfler - British Grove 3 Track Band Session (One Deep River / The Boy)
1 month ago 00:09:36 1
Deep Purple - Child In Time - Live (1970)
1 month ago 00:22:03 1
Kathleen Ferrier; “FRAUENLIEBE UND -LEBEN“; Robert Schumann
1 month ago 00:01:25 1
THE SURFER clip | BFI London Film Festival 2024
1 month ago 00:03:07 1
Smokie - I’ll Meet You At Midnight (BBC Basil Brush Show )