What I’ve learnt about xenophobia is that the only logical question is why?

The panel I joined at the Cambridge Festival of Ideas was a distinguished one. A couple of Cambridge professors: Mary Beard (classics), Rae Langton (philosophy), plus a lecturer in modern languages, Andy Martin, as chair. They were complemented by two talented rights activists and writers, Temi Mwale and Jane Fae. Plus me.

One of scores of short sessions on big issues, our agenda was “Hate Speech, Xenophobia and Trolls” and it is fair to say that we didn’t sort everything out in the 90 minutes or so we were gathered together with a lively and thoughtful audience. A video if the event will be online, so you may judge for yourself, but for myself I felt I learned a few things. Or rather, I learned what I don’t think I’ll ever understand.

For example, I got a better insight into the cruel and irrational trolling Mary Beard has been subjected to, and how she has been more concerned for the safety of her students than herself after the death threats she has been subjected to for the crime for having an original mind as well as an incredibly intelligent one.

She also reminded the rest of us that “xenophobia” doesn’t mean the hatred of foreigners, but rather fear of foreigners. And thus it turned out was key to the one single question that remained stubbornly unanswered through all our arguments: why?

Why, as one person in the room asked aloud, is it that people fear “the other” – those different to themselves? I guess there are some sociological, anthropological and cultural explanations – or at least descriptions and accounts – that shed light on xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia and all the other phobias humankind has been so prey to for so long. There are also examples of societies in which such phobias are far rarer – though you hear less about those.

It remains odd – given the immediate human suffering that these giant phobias have inflicted – that there is such little understanding of why they are resilient and virulent, and why they so easily infect humanity from one generation to the next.

After all, you might think, they are only ideas – but of course that fact is the key to their very (in this case destructive) power.

Western societies are often said to be currently engaged in a culture battle rather than a political one based on class, but it might be better thought of as an evolving battle of ideas.

At the moment, we might agree, the wrong side is making too much of the running.

Yours,

Sean O’Grady

Associate editor