In the 1630s a group of intellectuals known as the Great Tew
Circle met a short distance away from the Wychwoods to champion the use of
reason in the religious polemics of the time.
At Wychwood Circle we could say we are focused on exploring the use of
religion as well as reason in the political, moral and technological upheaval
of our own time.
What can we know?
The clash, or otherwise, of faith and reason has taxed
thinkers from the days of the Roman Stoic Epictetus (“I am a rational creature;
so I must sing hymns to God”) through the spread of Christianity and other
faiths and the so-called Enlightenment to the present day. Is Religion Irrational? Foremost
amongst contemporary theologians and philosophers is Professor Keith Ward who on
24th September will be at Milton under Wychwood’s Village Hall to help
many of us to face this theme head-on. He is a prolific author and if you can’t
make it, you will find a whole range of topics on his website, from science and the cosmos to
morality and the non-literal interpretation of Jesus’ teachings.
In January 2018 we will be further challenged by Oxford
philosopher Tom Simpson
(formerly an officer in the Royal Marine Commandos and now resident in Chipping
Norton) on the issue of trust, and not so much what we can believe, as who
we can believe. His topic will be ‘Can We Still Trust Experts?’ – never
so relevant as in our post-referendum and Trumpian world of post-truth and ‘alternative
facts’.
How then shall we live?
For those who are willing to put in the preparation, our
2017-18 season will include three discussions taking the recent book How
Then Shall We Live? as our theme.
The author, Sam Wells, is both Vicar of St Martin in the Fields
and Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at Kings College London – and a contributor to
Thought for the Day on BBC. The book,
readily available in paperback, usefully divides up into three sections: Engaging the World (October discussion),
Being Human (February), and Facing Mortality (May). Please email david.soward@gmail.com for more
information.
And are robots people too?
So some have asked, as they stop to think about the rise of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots who might not only make and
then drive our cars but offer home care and even medical advice in the near
future. What impact will these
developments have on our identity and
self-understanding? In December we will watch a recorded lecture by Professor John
Wyatt and discuss the massive ethical and other implications of AI.
Only connect
Other upcoming events, as usual open to everyone and anyone,
whatever their standpoint, will give us an opportunity to look at poetry under
the heading of ‘Only Connect – turning to poetry’ (November 12th) and an evening at the Village Hall
where local (and international) Yoga teacher Ruth White will
help us to consider How To Turn Adversity into Advantage (March 11th). Most of our meetings take place in Wychwood
Library, warmly welcomed by librarian Ruth Gillingham, on the second Sunday of
the month: but check www.wychwoodcircle.org
for occasional changes of date or venue.
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