Imagine the following dialogue between a Religious Minister and a Philosopher who are paying a visit to the Vatican in Rome, and are standing in the center of the Room of the Signature, where are displayed the two great frescos of Raphael Sanzio, The School of Athens and The Dispute of the Holy Sacrament. As if he were standing in the center of a sphere, the Minister begins to realize the natur...

I feel somewhat relaxed and freer since I resigned from the position of Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs about a month ago. At least now I don’t have to worry about what I say about the yen/US dollar rate for the wire people who used to follow me all over the world. I would like to remind you that what I say today does not necessarily reflect the official views of the Japanese...

THE last occasion that the British Association met at Cambridge was in 1904, under the presidency of my revered relative, Lord Balfour, who at the time actually held the position of Prime Minister. That a Prime Minister should find it possible to undertake this additional burden brings home to us how much the pace has quickened in national activities, and I may add, anxieties, between that time...

In this paper advisors are selected by two ministers with con ̄icting interests in order to (1) acquire information, and (2) obtain political legitimacy concerning a project. In the end, parliament decides whether or not the project, of which the consequences are uncertain, is implemented. In principle a minister wants to appoint an advisor whose preferences are similar. However, since the advis...