Matthew Furlong, Author at The NL Independent

The SMU controversy: How not to do things with words

Published on September 9, 2013 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

The “words are not actions” defense is misguided, and here’s why…

Fences and neighbours

Published on December 20, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

At the end of the day, it seems as though this isn’t a story about an unsightly metal-and-plexiglass barrier. It appears to be a story about a group of people presuming to treat citizens like subjects.

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Get Off The Fence!

Published on December 11, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

With the St. John’s Port Authority under fire, its determination to fence the harbour has illuminated an otherwise opaque actor in city affairs. And its broader mandate may require greater flexibility than it’s been willing to show so far.

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Fantastic adventures in ideology!

Published on August 24, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

Wherein we examine the trials and tribulations of a mistreated concept: ‘ideology’

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Consent in the Age of Electoral Machines (Part II)

Published on July 4, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

What is the nature of protest in a society that calls itself free? We return to the thought of Hannah Arendt to find out.

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Consent in the Age of Electoral Machines

Published on May 31, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

We often celebrate our political traditions—but how “traditional” are they?

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On Newfoundland Republicanism, Political Freedom, and Hannah Arendt

Published on April 19, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

Currently, we have an ethos that encourages passivity in relation to the abuses that political parties inflict on us today. But it’s not the only possible state of affairs

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Everyone is Don Quixote (Part II)

Published on February 23, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

“…human beings try to actualize ideas that, by the light of their own time, may have all the appearance of madness.”

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Everyone is Don Quixote (Part I)

Published on January 26, 2012 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

The most famous madman in the history of storytelling has more to teach us about ourselves than you might think

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Theses on Occupy Wall Street (Part II)

Published on December 22, 2011 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

It’s not that democracy’s bad, but …

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Students aren’t the only ones who need an education

Published on November 24, 2011 in "In This Present Crisis"/Featured by Matthew Furlong

The Eastern School District defends a new policy about cheating by saying that acquiring knowledge doesn’t include learning social conduct. They’re wrong. Here’s why.

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