Robert Darby

Dr Robert Darby is an independent scholar and author of 'A Surgical Temptation: The Demonization of the Foreskin and the Rise of Circumcision in Britain' (University of Chicago Press). He lives in Ca

4 Posts

Man of Yesterday: Karl Marx and His Place in History

What makes this case especially convincing is the endless number of unsuccessful attempts “to bring Marx up to date”.

Robert Darby

5 May 2018 · 9 min read

“What Have the Romans Ever Done For Us?” A Discussion of Helen Dale’s Kingdom of the Wicked

Are there any reasons for thinking that the Romans could have had an industrial revolution?

Robert Darby

27 Mar 2018 · 15 min read

Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle: Science, Commerce, Freedom, and the Origins of Modernity

They witnessed the defeat of the Ottoman Turks at the siege of Vienna, ending a thousand years of implacable Islamic expansion.

Robert Darby

4 Oct 2017 · 31 min read

Female Genital Cutting: Harm, Human Rights and the Possibility of a Sex-Neutral Approach

In this age of sexual equality and non-discrimination, it increasingly looks hypocritical and inconsistent to support both the legitimacy and legality of male circumcision and, at the same time, the unacceptability and illegality of FGC.

Robert Darby

3 Mar 2016 · 16 min read