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SUMMARY:Serendipity in Political Life - Oliver Letwin\, Member of Parliame
 nt
DTSTART:20080215T173000Z
DTEND:20080215T183000Z
UID:TALK8735@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Janet Gibson
DESCRIPTION:Abstract\n\nPolitics is a conjuncture of ideas\, external real
 ities and public mood – the Cleopatra’s nose theory is therefore a cor
 rect description of a lot of what happens – most of the chance occurrenc
 es are unfortunate – but serendipity does occur – the interesting ques
 tion is whether politicians themselves have any capacity to increase the l
 ikelihood of serendipitous occurrences – my answer is that they do\, but
  exclusively by changing the ideas that cause the moods.\n\nBiography\n\nT
 he Rt. Hon. Oliver LETWIN\, MP Conservative Dorset West (majority 2461)\; 
  s of Professor W Letwin\, and Dr S R Letwin (d 1993)\;  b 19 May 1956\;  
 Educ  Eton\, Trinity College\, Cambridge (MA\, PhD)\;  m 1984\, Isabel Gra
 ce\, da of Professor John Frank Davidson\, FRS\;  1 s (Jeremy John Peter) 
 5 July 1993\, 1 da (Laura Shirley - twin)\;\n\nCareer   visiting research 
 fellow Princeton University 1980-81\;  research fellow Darwin College\, Ca
 mbridge 1981-82\;  special adviser Department of Education and Science 198
 2-83\;  member Prime Minister’s Policy Unit 1983-86\;  director N M Roth
 schild and Sons Ltd 1991-2003\; non-executive director 2005-\; MP (Conserv
 ative) Dorset W 1997-\;   Appointed to the Privy Council June 2002\; FRSA 
 1991\;  Publications  Ethics\, Emotion and the Unity of the Self (1984)\, 
 Privatising the World (1987)\, Aims of Schooling (1988)\, Drift to Union (
 1990)\, The Purpose of Politics (1999)\;  numerous articles in learned and
  popular journals\;  Recreations  philosophy\, walking\, skiing\, tennis. 
 \n
LOCATION:LMH\, Lady Mitchell Hall
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