# The plumage of the naked ape

- Institution: Gresham College
- Speaker: Professor Rodney Barker
- Year: 2006
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Society and politics, Philosophy
- Source: [Gresham College](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/plumage-naked-ape)
- Licence: [Educational use (Gresham College's terms)](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/terms-and-conditions)
- Who can watch: Adult profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Tom Paine criticised Edmund Burke’s account of the French Revolution by saying that he pitied the plumage but forgot the dying bird. But it is often the plumage which defines the bird. The rituals and theatre of public life are a valuable indicator of the character of a political system.

## Lectures

1. [The plumage of the naked ape](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/plumage-naked-ape/a60a9d375344) (YouTube)