Paul Sagar

Lecturer in Political Theory, King’s College, Cambridge

Paul Sagar is a lecturer in political theory in the department of political economy, King’s College London. He is the author of The Opinion of Mankind: Sociability and the Theory of the State from Hobbes to Smith (2018).

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Written by Paul Sagar

A painting of a bouquet of carnations in red, white and pink hues with a signature “A. Hitler 1910” in the bottom left corner.

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Ethics

Tainted by association

Would you carve a roast with a knife that had been used in a murder? Why not? And what does this tell us about ethics?

Paul Sagar

Medieval painting depicting a skeletal figure with a scythe standing on a pedestal of skulls, with people on the ground below.

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Meaning and the good life

On going on and on and on

The fantasy of living forever is just a fig leaf for the fear of death – and comes at great personal cost

Paul Sagar

Close-up of a Bank of England £20 note showing the holographic portrait of a man in a wig and the word Twenty embossed on it.

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Political philosophy

The real Adam Smith

He might be the poster boy for free-market economics, but that distorts what Adam Smith really thought

Paul Sagar

A climber in red gear scaling a steep snowy slope, surrounded by blue and white ice formations under a clear sky.

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Sports and games

Rules of ascent

For mountaineers, it’s not enough to get to the top – it must be done a certain way. But why is the harder way better?

Paul Sagar

Francis Fukuyama in a suit and red tie smiling gently, sitting on a sofa beside a blue cushion, looking away, against a blue striped background.

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Political philosophy

The last hollow laugh

Since Francis Fukuyama proclaimed ‘The End of History’ 25 years ago, he has been much maligned. His work now seems prophetic

Paul Sagar