Sunday Lecture – Schopenhauer and Character-Determinism
After over a century Schopenhauer is once again coming to be seen as one of the great Western philosophers. Hence it is instructive to explore and critique his views about human character as connected with his deterministic outlook. Tom Rubens teaches English and Philosophy. He has published sid books on philosophy and a selection of […]
Tomax Talks: Observing War with Aernout Van Lynden
ToMax Talks juxtapose two kinds of war-observation. Veteran video journalist Aernout Van Lynden flies in from Holland to reflect on his unrivalled reportage experience. He will be joined by social anthropologist Dr. Mark de Rond.; Aernout Van Lynden flies in from Holland to reflect on his career as one of the foremost video-journalists and war […]
Sunday Lecture – Don’t Get Fooled Again!
Around the world skeptics are on the front line as powerful governments and multi-national organisations crack down on freedom of speech. Yet skepticism is needed more than ever before and skeptics have never been more vocal. In this talk Richard Wilson will explore the relationship between skepticism and freedom of speech and the opportunities that […]
Sunday Lecture – The Morality of ‘Ethical Consumerism’
Anja Steinbauer discusses the ethics of the principles motivations and rationales of consumer behaviour.; If you ask them most people claim to be conscious of the moral importance of their consumer choices. However only a tiny minority actually have ethics in mind when going shopping. Why is there such a gap? What motivates our choices? […]
Sunday Lecture – The Neurobiology and Ethics of Voluntary Amputation
Mo Costandi details the neurological origins and ethical issues arising from Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) an extremely rare condition in which sufferers feel an overwhelming urge to amputate an otherwise perfectly healthy limb.; 11.00 £3 on the door/free to members.
Sunday Lecture – Infinity and Immortality
Adrian Moore shall consider questions that arise in connection with the desirability or otherwise of immortality. In particular he will address Bernard William’s argument that a never-ending life would eventually become tedious to the point of unendurability. Moore will suggest that there are two questions that need to be distinguished even though they can easily […]
Adlerian Society: ‘It’s All Fiction’ presented by Bruce Tate
Alfred Adler was keen on fiction. He spoke about his interest in reading fairytales Goethe and Shakespeare amongst others and in his clinical work he would sometimes refer to Aesop’s Fables. Fiction is a key concept within different areas of Adler’s Individual Psychology. Use is made of elements of fiction by therapists in helping clients […]
Jonah Lehrer on Genius
Jonah Lehrer will show how creativity is not a singular ‘gift’ possessed by the lucky few. It’s a variety of thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. You have to be a certain type to be creative. And even among those with talent, there are very few real geniuses. The rest […]