Bedrock Magazine

17/09/2025

‘“The opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity.”
Jim Hightower, US syndicated columnist, political activist and author

‘I like the above quotation. It is an odd one to start this column with: it’s not correct (the opposite of courage isn’t really conformity), the person quoted is relatively obscure—certainly in terms of the UK—and is someone with whom I would disagree a lot.

‘Yet there is something about the sense of it—not conforming for its own sake—that gets to the heart of what it is to be genuinely courageous in the modern world. Courage gets thrown around a lot—opening up publicly about particular struggles, the latest celebrity to reveal something about their life or identity. I have no particular opinion on whether or not that is the right thing to do; I do not make any particular judgement on what they’re revealing, but I am not convinced that for the most part this meets the definition of courage.

‘In almost all of the circumstances where we are told someone has been brave or courageous, the vast majority of the world are going to be supportive of whatever it is they are saying. It is as much as anything, simply reaffirming values “the world” has (at least in the eyes of those writing about it) already adopted and affirmed. In such a situation, is there any real object of fear? Or is it more the case that there is just a perceived object of fear which bears little resemblance to the actual reality?’

To read the full article by Andrew Tucker, check out our newly-releasedSeptember issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3! Andrew Tucker, the ‘Virtue Coach’, is the founder of Magnanimatus Coaching, a company focused on helping people find their purpose; he is a representative of the Virtuous Leadership Institute, and previously lectured at St Mary's University, Twickenham on Responsible Leadership.

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

16/09/2025

Hard at work, as always!

Today the Bedrock team (ably led by our CEO James Candia) have been busy packaging up Issue 3 and getting it sent out to our subscribers. If you're signed up already, you can be sure that your copy is winging its way in your direction even as you read this post - if you're not yet, then why not take the chance to subscribe now?

Our September issue is jam-packed with 15 fascinating articles by a wide range of authors, to whom we've been introducing you on our social media these past few weeks, alongside our crosswords, poems, literary extracts, events page, the results of our reading survey, and much more...

You can take a look at our full selection of articles by visiting bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3/; also, if you missed Issues 1 and 2, you can still pick them up by visiting our store at bedrockmagazine.com/shop, or you can read the articles on our Substack at bedrockmagazine.substack.com. Stay tuned on here for more info!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

15/09/2025

ISSUE 3 HAS BEEN PUBLISHED!

If you're a subscriber, you will be receiving the September issue of Bedrock Magazine over the course of the next week, be that physically in your post-box, or digitally on our website, where all the content has now been uploaded. If you're not, why aren't you?

Jam-packed with 15 fascinating articles by a wide range of authors, to whom we've been introducing you on our social media these past few weeks, alongside our crosswords, poems, literary extracts, events page, the results of our reading survey, and much more...

You can take a look at our full selection of articles by visiting bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3/; also, if you missed Issues 1 and 2, you can still pick them up by visiting our store at bedrockmagazine.com/shop, or you can read the articles on our Substack at bedrockmagazine.substack.com. Stay tuned on here for more info!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

12/09/2025

‘Over the last few years, we have seen a growing restlessness in our Western societies, in the everyday lives of ordinary people. People argue more than they used to. There are many divorces, while many young people are simply not getting married. People see their neighbours as a possible future nuisance rather than a possible future friend. In short, our internal societies are less peaceful than they were a few decades ago.

‘Why is that? It is difficult to say, but I think that if you lie to someone or do not keep your promises, if you do not work for the common good of your family or your church or your country, you do not build peaceful societies. The same happens on an international level.

‘In 1992, Francis Fukuyama published a book which had an enormous global impact, “The End of History and the Last Man.” He argued that history, the stage for ideological struggles, had come to an end with the fall of Communism and the victory of liberal democracies. For Fukuyama, the end of history—a term he borrowed from Hegel—would mean the end of wars and bloody revolutions.

‘We do not deny that the apparent victory of liberal democracy did give rise to a great deal of optimism in the West. Thirty years on from Fukuyama’s publication, however, it is very much evident that his thesis has not been fulfilled. Far from it.’

To read the full article by Dr Carlos Espaliú Berdud, check out our September issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3! Carlos is Full Professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University CEU Fernando III in Seville, and Research Fellow of the Las Casas Institute at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford.

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

11/09/2025

How would an experience of intense, debilitating pain change the way you looked at the world?

This question lay at the heart of our fourth Bedrock interview, where we interviewed Laura Calnan about how reading the writings of Julian of Norwich helped her to find meaning in her suffering.

Laura is a doctoral student in History at the University of Oxford; born and raised in Luxembourg, she completed her undergraduate and master's degrees in Edinburgh. Her work explores humility in late medieval women's mystical writings. Want to hear more? You can find the full thing over at our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/drd6K4cGLss.

If you like this interview, you'll have to check out Laura's full article in our March issue - make sure you join our growing list of subscribers over at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe to be able to read this!

Also, later this week we shall be releasing our September issue, which features fifteen wonderful authors, alongside our crosswords, literary extracts, events page, and much more... What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

How would an experience of intense, debilitating pain change the way you looked at the world?Welcome to the fourth of our Bedrock interviews, where we interv...

10/09/2025

‘We have all had the experience of the joy that the birth of a baby brings, whether our own, a relative’s or friend’s, or even a complete stranger. Perhaps it is something about the helplessness of the little one, or the hope in the future implicit in birth that tugs at our heart strings.

‘But in spite of this, we are also well aware that there are fewer children around these days, families are smaller and more people are childless, oftentimes not by choice. According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics, women born in 1965, now around 60 years old, are twice as likely to have remained childless compared to women born 20 years earlier.

‘The book “The Children of Men” by P.D. James describes a dystopian future in which women, for some unexplained reason, have stopped having children. Globally, the youngest person on the planet, the last person born who is still alive, is a mini celebrity. But that does not help to lighten the atmosphere. It is clear that a world without children is a world without a future, a world without hope.’

To read the full article by Dr Dermot Grenham, check out our September issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3! Dermot is an actuary and demographer currently living and working in Glasgow, who has previously lectured in demography at the London School of Economics; he is in the middle of preparing a presentation on population narratives from Malthus to Musk for the annual conference of the British Society of Population Studies.

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

08/09/2025

‘If someone were to ask you, “Who are you?” as the Caterpillar asks Alice, we, like her, would probably not have an answer. We would also, like Alice, notice that our identity seems to change from hour to hour.

‘Nevertheless, others like to see us as a singular, stable thing, often to our frustration. The Western philosophical tradition confers identity on others from a top-down approach. A definition of humanity is given so that all people fit the mold.

‘National and religious identities are also top-bottom. We teach our children that “our people” have a set of traits, which they identify with for the rest of their lives, even if they themselves lack most of these traits. Puerto Ricans (my people) associate themselves with the countryside most have never lived in and flavours they in reality dislike. I am sure your people, too, do something similar.’

To read the full article by Jay Chin Soto on the Japanese author Shūsaku Endō and how he deals with questions of identity, check out our September issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3! Jay is a Japanese instructor in Puerto Rico; he has an MPhil from the University of Oxford in Linguistics, and a BA in Philosophy from Boston College.

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

07/09/2025

Only ONE WEEK to go until Issue 3 is released!

Jam-packed with 15 fascinating articles by a wide range of authors, to whom we'll be introducing you on our social media over the coming weeks, alongside our crosswords, poems, literary extracts, events page, the results of our reading survey, and much more... You can take a look at our full selection of articles by visiting bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3/. Stay tuned on here for more info!

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe/ by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

06/09/2025

Ever wondered how you can foster a love of hiking while living in the city?

If so, make sure to take a look at the third of our Bedrock interviews, where we interviewed Jake Hatton about his enjoyment of a good walk, how walking through an area can totally change the way you look at it, and how (if you're convinced) to go about trying a bit of hiking yourself!

Jake currently works as a Research Associate at the Halkin Partnership, and is a country man in the city, always in search of the character of wherever he may be; he enjoys seasonal and historical cooking, and thinking deeply about landscapes and the memories they hold. Want to hear more? You can find the full thing over at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLRlSO4LJAs

If you like this interview, you'll have to check out Jake's full article in our March issue - make sure you join our growing list of subscribers over at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe to be able to read this!

Also, in two weeks' time we shall be releasing our September issue, which features fifteen wonderful authors, alongside our crosswords, literary extracts, events page, and much more... What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

Ever wondered how you can foster a love of hiking while living in the city?Welcome to the third of our Bedrock interviews, where we interviewed Jake Hatton a...

05/09/2025

‘Have you ever faced a particular challenge in your life as a result of circumstances spiralling out of control? Something awful that brought on a feeling of shame—something that you couldn’t face, something that you couldn’t talk about?

‘I once knew a man, not dissimilar to me. The other morning I caught a glimpse of him in the mirror; he’d aged somewhat, grey haired and wrinkled. His blue eyes spoke to me.

‘This is a true tale about a man, an ordinary man, known to some as John. It is also a true story about a United States military officer—Admiral James Stockdale. This could be your story…’

To read the full article by Matt Turner, check out our September issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3 ! Matt is a former Security Consultant, whose interests lie in Philosophy and Theology; he enjoys collecting old books, particularly antique and vintage books relating to the countryside.

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

03/09/2025

‘We used to think of our country as a green and pleasant land, but the United Kingdom is now one of the most nature-depleted places in the world. Spring used to announce itself with a cacophony of crickets, frogs, and birds, but now many parts of the countryside, choked with pesticides and industrial agriculture, are silent.

‘One in six species in Great Britain is at risk of becoming extinct, from the turtledove to the watervole. Our woodlands, rivers, marshes, fens, and meadows are degraded and polluted: only one of seven of Britain’s habitats have been found to still be in a healthy enough condition to support a thriving ecosystem...’

To read the full article by Aili Winstanley Channer, check out our September issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3 ! Aili is a writer and researcher interested in thinking historically and philosophically about the cultural patterns that have led to our contemporary ecological crises and how to create societal renewal. She has recently completed a Master’s in Cultural and Intellectual History at the Warburg Institute, University of London, with a focus on premodern science and political philosophy.

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!

01/09/2025

‘Every day something challenges our sense of human worth.

‘Maybe it is the frustration of dismissing a slow cashier as “incompetent” when they are struggling to make ends meet, or the temptation to stroll past a homeless person without a second thought, reducing them to a problem rather than a person. Perhaps it is the way we judge a coworker’s worth by their output or roll our eyes at an elderly relative’s repeated stories, as if their value fades with age.

‘In a world that celebrates speed, success, and social media perfection, it is easy to slip into seeing people - including ourselves - through a dehumanizing lens, measuring worth by what someone can do or how they appear. The erosion of shared moral principles has led to a society which increasingly measures human worth by utility, productivity, or social capital.’

To read the full article by Madalena Brito, check out our September issue at bedrockmagazine.com/issue-3 ! Dr Maria Madalena Brito is a Senior Reader and the Office Manager of the Canterbury Institute in Oxford; she was awarded a European PhD from the University of Lisbon in 2019. Her doctoral research formed the basis of her monograph, ‘The Slave is a Human Person: Debates on Slavery in Early Modern Portugal,’ published by Brill in June 2024.

Also, in case you never got around to it, there is still time to pick up a copy of Issue 2 - any subscriber who signs up on our website at bedrockmagazine.com/subscribe by 15th September will be sent a copy of both!

What are you waiting for? Become a Bedrock subscriber today!