Our Influences...

Nicolo Machiavelli

'The Prince'

A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savour of it.

Let him act like the clever archers who, designing to hit the mark which yet appears too far distant, and knowing the limits to which the strength of their bow attains, take aim much higher than the mark, not to reach by their strength or arrow to so great a height, but to be able with the aid of so high an aim to hit the mark they wish to reach.

Machiavelli's The Prince is significant to us because we feel like archers, take aim and aspire to reach a variety of targets, whilst testing our own limitations.

Franz Kafka

'Before the Law'

Click here to read a short story which has affected our approach to personalised learning.

Kafka's Before the Law recognises the human condition is a way which is intensely personal. It also acknowledges the role of ownership as a dependent relationship.

Plato

'The Allegory of the Cave'


Click here to find about Plato's allegory.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave foregrounds the significance of representation as a key concept which we must all negotiate in our specific social, cultural and historical contexts as audiences.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

'The Social Contract'

Click here to find about Rousseau's Social Contract.

Rousseau's Social Contract draws attention to the relationship between the individual and the state or the individual and the institution.

It recognises that we gain rights when we sign up to a contract of 'citizenship' but as with all contracts we also forfeit certain rights.

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