Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and a happy 2020!

 





[Details of painting: here.]

Future Events October and November 2019

 

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Please find details of some of our future events:

 

Annual Lecture: ‘The Future of Christian Ethics’ on Thursday 24th of October 2019, from 7.00 to 8.30 pm in the Martin Hall, New College, University of Edinburgh.

Our annual lecture will be given by the Reverend Canon Professor Robin Gill (Wikipedia article here) and chaired by the Reverend Dr John O’Connor OP.

Professor Gill will consider three of the existing tensions within Christian ethics that promise to be influential in shaping the future of the discipline: tensions between emerging technology and Christian ethics; tensions between secular humanism and Christian ethics; and tensions between other faith traditions and Christian ethics. He will examine the existing fruitful dialogue in each of these areas, and suggest some future directions they might take.

Professor Gill is the Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology at the
University of Kent and has extensively published in sociology, theology, and
religious and health care ethics.

The event is free. To attend please register via eventbrite  (CTRL + click on ‘eventbrite’ in bold to follow the link).

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Annual Conference (updated 21/10/19): This year’s conference is on Atheism and will take place on Saturday 9th November from 10am until 5pm also at New College, University of Edinburgh.

Please join us for our Conference: ATHEISMS: HISTORY, SCIENCE & RELIGION - SATURDAY 9 NOV 10am-4:30pm. New College Edinburgh. £10 (students free). Book on www.eventbrite.co.uk. A scientist, a theologian, and a religious studies scholar explore the origins and future of modern atheism and the rejection of God.

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[Photo of Professor Gill from here]

Next meeting of Albertus Institute: 7 October

 

ALBERTUS COFFEE HOUSE 3

18:00 – 19:00, Mon 7th Oct, 2019

           

The Garden Room, St Albert’s Catholic Chaplaincy, 23 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD. Entrance via George Square Lane.

 

Free.

 

The next Albertus Coffee House evening discussion theme will be 'If it works, it is constitutional?'. It will be led by David Christie. Tickets are free, but please book with Eventbrite (click on 'Eventbrite'). Coffee and cake will be served.

The Albertus Institute is beginning a series of discussion evenings on virtuous political discourse, with the aim of encouraging a renaissance of mature and informed political thinking and debate among those who draw on the Catholic political tradition. Given the public’s loss of confidence in politics, possible ways of rebuilding an understanding of a common political good will be explored.

[Image: From Nicolaus de Lyra, Postillae super totam Biblam. Tome 1, Source: gallica.bnf.fr]

New Event: 18 June 2019

 

The Albertus Institute is beginning a series of discussion evenings on virtuous political discourse, with the aim of encouraging a renaissance of mature and informed political thinking and debate among those who draw on the Catholic political tradition. Given the public’s loss of confidence in politics, possible ways of rebuilding an understanding of a common political good will be explored. 

The first session will be on Tuesday 18th June at 6 -7.15pm in the Garden Room at St Albert's Catholic Chaplaincy, 23 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD. Entrance via George Square Lane.

The first session will be led by Bill Moyes, who has extensive civil service experience in Whitehall and Scotland, and currently chairs the General Dental Council and the Gambling Commission (bio here). Coffee and cake will be provided. If you would like to attend sign up with Eventbrite.

 

Merry Christmas and a happy 2019!

Merry Christmas and a happy 2019!

 





[Details of painting: here.]

Reading list Catholic Social Teaching course

Welcome to the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year!

While waiting for the finalisation of details of our activities this year, I came across this proposed syllabus for course on Catholic Social Teaching for a Pontifical Baccalaureate in Theology taught by Father Edmund Waldstein (who blogs here and tweets under the handle of @sancruncensis). Father Waldstein is closely associated with the integralist movement and the website The Josias.

Most of these documents -and certainly the papal teaching (the Vatican website is here)- will be available online and would provide an interesting course of reading in their own right. (Many appear to be available throught the Josias online library here.) Happy reading!


[Image details: Louis IX from St Louis Bible (c.1220-1230). More details here.]

Albertus Institute talk 13 June

Slavery in the Classical Age.

18:00, Wed 13th Jun, 2018
The Garden Room of St Albert's Catholic Chaplaincy, 23 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD. Entrance via George Square Lane.


The Speaker, Dr Ulrike Roth (university homepage here), is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh.

The talk will be chaired by Dr Gordon Wyllie.

The talk is free but any voluntary contributions will be gratefully received and can be gift-aided.

For further details and online registration see here.

Albertus Institute Talk: Friday 18 May

What have the early Christians ever done for us? Sex, slavery and social order.

18:00, Fri 18th May, 2018

           

The Garden Room, St Albert's Catholic Chaplaincy, 23 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD. Entrance via George Square Lane.

Free.

The speaker, Dr Sara Parvis, Senior Lecturer in Patristics at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh (university profile here).

The talk will be chaired by Dr Elizabeth Drummond Young, Open Studies Tutor, University of Edinburgh.

The talk is free but any voluntary contributions will be gratefully received and can be gift-aided.
Please note: Access to the Garden Room is through the garden via the gateway in George Square Lane. The Lane is behind 23 and 24 George Square and runs parallel with Middle Meadow Walk. There is one disabled parking space in the Lane reserved for people coming to St Albert’s.

Catholic Social Teaching at St Albert's: session 3

Final session tonight (Tuesday 24 April 2018) on the individual and God!

Last week I talked about the importance of human nature and especially our social nature: that we naturally lived in a variety of relationships among which the family as the primary vehicle of projecting our earthly lives beyond death into a next generation was of key importance. I also talked of the way that a revival of Aristotelian thought in modern, Anglophone ethics was generally supportive of the basis of Catholic, particularly Thomist thought, in Aristotle.

(For further reading on this you could try Elizabeth Anscombe's classic paper, 'Modern Moral Philosophy' here. This is often regarded as the foundation stone of modern virtue ethics, an article about which can be found here.)

I've also occasionally talked about the slogan 'Don't immanentize the eschaton!', popularized by the American conservative Catholic, William F. Buckley (Wikipedia explanation here.) The broad meaning of this phrase is that much that is wrong in modernity is caused by the desire to make heaven on earth.

This evening, the main emphasis of my talk will be on the correct orientation of society towards heaven in heaven: the supernatural end of human beings. In Catholic piety, part of this is reflected in the sense of earthly life being an exile which pervades the Salve Regina:

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,

Our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry,

Poor banished children of Eve;

To thee do we send up our sighs,

Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

Thine eyes of mercy toward us;

And after this our exile,

Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving,

O sweet Virgin Mary.

But this sense of the profound incompleteness of earthly life is also found in pre-Christian, classical philosophy, most obviously in Aristotle's emphasis on the importance of contemplation of divine things in the flourishing human life, and in Plato's emphasis on philosophy as a preparation for death (see here for a relevant excerpt from the Phaedo).



Further reading:

The previous Albertus blog course on Anthony Esolen's book, Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching, reflects his strong emphasis on religion practice as the centre of social life. The course can be followed online beginning with the introduction here and clicking on the 'Esolen' label at the bottom of the page to find the remaining posts.


[Image details: Rosa Celeste: Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven, The Empyrean by Gustave Doré. Details here.]

Catholic Social Teaching at St Albert's: session 2

Tonight's session (17 April) will focus primarily on those units lower than the State: this is roughly the sphere of the individual, the family and civil society. (The individual will be left mostly until the final session.)

Perhaps the key to this session is the view that human beings naturally form relationships for a variety of purposes. In Aristotle's analysis, which is broadly taken over by Aquinas, the key levels of this community building are the family, the village and the polis (the city state). (It's notworthy that Aristotle, like Plato, does not pay much attention to an international order.) In modernity, there is a tendency for the State to take all authority for itself and to diminish the status of these communities. The disruption of this natural pattern of community forming (whether by the State or businesses) is harmful to the natural pattern of human life and thus to our flourishing.

Recommended sources:

Although I wouldn't claim that Edmund Burke's political philosophy is entirely compatible with Catholic social teaching, it does provide an interesting Anglophone comparison with obvious echoes. An article on his thought may be found here. A previous blogcourse (!) on the thought of Russell Kirk -an American Catholic conservative thinker much influenced by Burke- can be found here.

Aristotle's (Nicomachean) Ethics can be found online here. (The most relevant discussion for this session is found in Book VIII on philia (friendship/relationships). Aquinas' commentary on it can be found here.


[Picture credit: The Blind Fiddler (after Sir David Wilkie). From Wikigallery here]

Catholic Social Teaching Course at St Albert's April 2018

Over the next three weeks, I'm going to be presenting a course on Catholic Social Teaching for the Justice and Peace Group at St Albert's in Edinburgh:

JUSTICE & PEACE GROUP:
THREE TALKS ON CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

Dr Stephen Watt will give a series of three talks on Catholic Social Teaching. The talks will be on Tuesday 10th April, 17th April and 24th April at 7pm in the Garden Room. The talks are free and there will be opportunity for Q&A. Catholic Social Teaching is a great resource for Catholics and non-Catholics alike and underpins the Church’s response to the J&P issues of our time. All welcome.

[From the St Albert's newsletter w/c 8 April. Website here.]

Although these talks are not under the aegis of the Albertus Institute, both from convenience and because of the close connection between the subject matter of the talks and the primary focus of this blog, I'll be posting here to provide additional commentary on the sessions, as well as links to supplementary resources.

Before the first meeting, I thought I'd try and do a brief sketch of how I see the talks and their progress over the three weeks.

One background assumption is that the talks are going to emphasize intellectual exploration. That's worth highlighting because much exploration of Catholic social teaching has a practical orientation: roughly, once you've been sensitized to some key principles of the teaching, the main aim is to put those principles into action. Although I'd hope that what we do in the coming weeks may well have some effects on how we act in the future, any such practical effects will be the indirect consequence of an improved understanding.

Now I could leave it there merely as an assumption, but let me try to defend it as an approach. There are many things I could say here. I could, for example, simply point to the Church's (and particularly the Dominicans') long tradition of academic study. I could also point to the need, in any society but particularly in democratic ones, to persuade others by argument. But perhaps a more fundamental way of defending the approach is in thinking about the importance of wisdom in Catholicism. In the process of sanctification (ie trying to get as close to God as possible) the development of wisdom is an important element. That doesn't mean necessarily academic study for everyone, but, given the conditions of a modern society, it will do for large numbers of people. So intellectual exploration of important issues is going to be a part of growing closer to God.

A second background assumption is that Catholic social teaching is important because it concerns almost everything about human nature. One of the worries I have about some popular presentations of Catholic social teaching is that they tend to isolate and restrict it. For example, you'll often read that it started in 1891 with the Encyclical Rerum Novarum. You may even get the impression that it simply concerns giving aid to developing countries. But Catholic social teaching (insofar as it means teaching on human beings and society) goes back to Scripture and uses political philosophy that goes back to Plato and Aristotle as developed over the 2000 years of the Church's history. One of the things I'll be trying to do in the coming weeks is to reconnect some of the more recent teachings on social issues with this older inheritance and thereby to understand it better.

A third -and final- assumption results from me and my background. My academic training is predominantly in philosophy and ancient Greek political and moral philosophy. That background undoubtedly affects how I see the subject matter and how I will present the talks. First, as a philosopher, I'm more interested in exploring and arguing about the ideas than in providing clear cut answers. Given the wide nature of the subject matter I emphasized in the second assumption above, I'd expect us to emerge at the other end with a deeper understanding of some key points, but perhaps in some ways even more confused than we were at the beginning! That'd be a good thing: these are often complex issues and a bit of humility about our understanding of them is a key part of wisdom. Secondly, as a philosopher who specializes in Ancient Greek philosophy, I suspect I'm often going to go back to Plato and Aristotle in particular, as well as to how that tradition was developed in Catholic thinkers such as Aquinas. I'd give two justifications for that particular approach. The first is broadly pragmatic. There are any number of approaches you might take to Catholic social teaching. You might, for example, compare it with English language political philosophy such as that of Locke or Hobbes. You might compare it with modern neo-liberal thinkers such as Hayek or Nozick. (And I'm sure I'll be doing some of this!) But since Classical political philosophy is still regarded as an important source for political thinking, it is perfectly reasonable to take an approach which puts that approach and Catholic social teaching into dialogue -and it just so happens that this happens to be the sort of thing that I happen to have the background to do. The second justification rests on the way Classical Greek philosophy has been central to the Catholic intellectual tradition. St Thomas Aquinas has regularly been offered as a model for Catholic thinking -and it is impossible to understand Aquinas without reference to the background of Platonism and Aristotelianism from which he developed much of his theology and philosophy. Moreover, as Pope Benedict argued in his Regensburg address:


I believe that here we can see the profound harmony between what is Greek in the best sense of the word and the biblical understanding of faith in God. Modifying the first verse of the Book of Genesis, the first verse of the whole Bible, John began the prologue of his Gospel with the words: "In the beginning was the λόγος [logos] ". This is the very word used by the emperor: God acts, σὺν λόγῳ [sun logo], with logos. Logos means both reason and word - a reason which is creative and capable of self-communication, precisely as reason. John thus spoke the final word on the biblical concept of God, and in this word all the often toilsome and tortuous threads of biblical faith find their culmination and synthesis. In the beginning was the logos, and the logos is God, says the Evangelist. The encounter between the Biblical message and Greek thought did not happen by chance. The vision of Saint Paul, who saw the roads to Asia barred and in a dream saw a Macedonian man plead with him: "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" (cf. Acts 16:6-10) - this vision can be interpreted as a "distillation" of the intrinsic necessity of a rapprochement between Biblical faith and Greek inquiry.

To summarize:

a) The course is going to emphasize deepening our understanding of Catholic social teaching rather than providing a recipe for practical action.
b) There's going to be a strong emphasis on developing that understanding through the philosophical and theological tradition of the Church, and through the roots of that tradition in Classical Greek philosophy.


Further reading:

You might find the following helpful:

a) Basic resources for the course:

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (online)
Catechism of the Catholic Church (online)

b) Other material:

i) St John Paul II's Encyclical on the relationship between philosophy and faith: Fides et ratio. Link.

ii) Pope Benedict lecture on the place of reason and Greek thought in understanding God: the Regensburg address. Link.

iii) Stanford Encyclopedia article on St Thomas Aquinas: Link.

Bishop Nolan's Letter on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

 In his letter for Justice and Peace Sunday (7 January 2018), Bishop William Nolan, President of the Justice and Peace Commission reflects on his recent visit to Calais and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We like to think that we are a welcoming people, and indeed we are. Towns and villages throughout Scotland have shown a warm welcome in recent months to asylum seekers and refugees seeking safety and a new life.

But many never get to set foot in our country to experience that welcome. The UK government controls immigration and that control ensures that many who wish to come here are hindered from doing so.

Last month I visited migrants in Calais and met people who have fled war and persecution. They hope for a better life in the UK, but meanwhile they endure harassment from the authorities designed to chase them away. Police remove their tents, confiscate their sleeping bags and move them on during the night as they sleep rough in the woods. There are unaccompanied children among these migrants. Their welfare is of particular concern.

Thankfully there are some who recognize a fellow human being in need and treat migrants with the kindness their human dignity demands. Sécours Catholique and volunteers from a variety of aid agencies supply food and clothing. Many of the volunteers are not Christian, but they certainly act as Christians should.

The number of those in France wanting to get to the UK is not large compared to the great number of refugees in Europe and the vast numbers throughout the world.

There have always been refugees. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus were refugees in Egypt. But we have a refugee crisis for our time that is on an unprecedented scale worldwide. Perhaps if we spent less money funding war and more funding peace; perhaps if we put less effort into selling arms and more effort into eradicating poverty; then fewer people would be forced to leave their homeland and their families.

Military spending worldwide is $1.7 trillion annually. If that was reduced by only 10%, and that money spent on development, then the United Nations’ development goals could be reached and poverty and hunger eradicated.

Meanwhile, there are many in our country who would like to welcome refugees. I know of people who, at no cost to the state, would happily house and support refugees while their asylum application was being heard. This is something the Scottish Government should seriously consider.

But it is the UK Government which controls the numbers allowed to enter the country. So far the UK response to the global refugee crisis has been less than generous.

Pope Francis speaks of the world as being our common home, may the part of that common home where we live be a place of welcome for those in need.

May I wish you every blessing as we begin this New Year, and may God bless our efforts as we work and pray for peace and justice for all.

Yours in Christ,

+ William Nolan
President of the Bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission

(from Justice and Peace Scotland site)
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Stephen Watt writes:

Further material on Catholic views in this area can be found

-on the USCCB site here
-on the Justice and Peace Scotland site here

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all at the Albertus Institute!

[Details of image: Master of Vyšší Brod, 1350. Full details here.

Feast of St Albert the Great

Happy Feast Day of St Albert the Great, our patron!


Albertus Magnus, also known as Albert the Great, was one of the most universal thinkers to appear during the Middle Ages. Even more so than his most famous student, St. Thomas of Aquinas, Albert’s interests ranged from natural science all the way to theology. He made contributions to logic, psychology, metaphysics, meteorology, mineralogy, and zoology. He was an avid commentator on nearly all the great authorities read during the 13th Century. He was deeply involved in an attempt to understand the import of the thought of Aristotle in some orderly fashion that was distinct from the Arab commentators who had incorporated their own ideas into the study of Aristotle. Yet he was not averse to using some of the outstanding Arab philosophers in developing his own ideas in philosophy. His superior understanding of a diversity of philosophical texts allowed him to construct one of the most remarkable syntheses in medieval culture.

[Read more here from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article]


The influence exerted by Albert on the scholars of his own day and on those of subsequent ages was naturally great. His fame is due in part to the fact that he was the forerunner, the guide and master of St. Thomas Aquinas, but he was great in his own name, his claim to distinction being recognized by his contemporaries and by posterity. It is remarkable that this friar of the Middle Ages, in the midst of his many duties as a religious, as provincial of his order, as bishop and papal legate, as preacher of a crusade, and while making many laborious journeys from Cologne to Paris and Rome, and frequent excursions into different parts of Germany, should have been able to compose a veritable encyclopedia, containing scientific treatises on almost every subject, and displaying an insight into nature and a knowledge of theology which surprised his contemporaries and still excites the admiration of learned men in our own times. He was, in truth, a Doctor Universalis. Of him it in justly be said: Nil tetigit quod non ornavit [he touched nothing which he did not adorn]; and there is no exaggeration in the praises of the modern critic who wrote: "Whether we consider him as a theologian or as a philosopher, Albert was undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary men of his age; I might say, one of the most wonderful men of genius who appeared in past times" (Jourdain, Recherches Critiques).

[Read more here from the Catholic Encyclopedia article]



Podcasts from History of Philosophy without any gaps:

Albert on nature here

Albert's metaphysics here


[Details of image: Fresco of St Albert by Tommaso da Modena 1352 (full details of image here)]

New events for 2017

Welcome to the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year!

Forthcoming events:

1) More Slaves Today than at any Time in Human History - Human Trafficking
10:00 – 17:00, Sat 7th Oct, 2017

 Martin Hall, New College, University of Edinburgh, Mound Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2LX
Free.

'More Slaves Today than at any Time in Human History’ - Exchanging Scottish and International Perspectives on Human Trafficking

Along with the ACTS Anti-Human Trafficking Group and The Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI) at the University of Edinburgh we are pleased to co-host this one day conference, exploring current issues related to human trafficking, from different contexts and perspectives. There will be keynote speakers, parallel sessions for short research papers, an exhibition and to conclude the day, a panel discussion.

More details and booking on our main website here.

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 2) The Albertus Annual Lecture – 12 October 2017

The first Albertus Annual Lecture will take place on Thursday 12 October at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ, at 6.30pm.

To mark the Luther Quincentenary, Professor Andrew Pettegree, FRHistS, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews will speak on:

Print and the Reformation. A drama in three acts. 

The power of the printing press was a major contribution to the spread of the Reformation. The Reformation both revolutionised the market and stimulated crucial innovations in the design and selling of books. This began in Wittenberg, where the partnership of Martin Luther and Lucas Cranach played a critical role in shaping the Reformation pamphlet.

The event is being jointly hosted by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and will be chaired by Dr Brian Lang CBE FRSE, a former Chief Executive of the British Library and a former Principal of the University of St Andrews.

Booking is through the RSE website www.rse.org.uk Please note there has already been considerable interest in this event and you are strongly advised to book early as places are limited.

The event is free but there will be an opportunity to make a voluntary donation to help cover costs.

 

The Feast of the Ascension

'...Christ's Ascension to the right hand of God is marvellous, because it is a sure token that heaven is a certain fixed place, and not a mere state. That bodily presence of the Saviour which the Apostles handled is not here; it is elsewhere,—it is in heaven. This contradicts the notions of cultivated and speculative minds, and humbles the reason. Philosophy considers it more rational to suppose that Almighty God, as being a Spirit, is in every place; and in no one place more than another. It would teach, if it dare, that heaven is a mere state of blessedness; but, to be consistent, it ought to go on to deny, with the ancient heretics, referred to by St. John, that "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh," and maintain that His presence on earth was a mere vision; for, certain it is, He who appeared on earth went up from the earth, and a cloud received Him out of His Apostles' sight. And here again an additional difficulty occurs, on minutely considering the subject. Whither did He go? beyond the sun? beyond the fixed stars? Did He traverse the immeasurable space which extends beyond them all? Again, what is meant by ascending? Philosophers will say there is no difference between down and up, as regards the sky; yet, whatever difficulties the word may occasion, we can hardly take upon us to decide that it is a mere popular expression, consistently with the reverence due to the Sacred Record.

'And thus we are led on to consider, how different are the character and effect of the Scripture notices of the structure of the physical world, from those which philosophers deliver. I am not deciding whether or not the one and the other are reconcileable; I merely say their respective effect is different. And when we have deduced what we deduce by our reason from the study of visible nature, and then read what we read in His inspired word, and find the two apparently discordant, this is the feeling I think we ought to have on our minds;—not an impatience to do what is beyond our powers, to weigh evidence, sum up, balance, decide, and reconcile, to arbitrate between the two voices of God,—but a sense of the utter nothingness of worms such as we are; of our plain and absolute incapacity to contemplate things as they really are; a perception of our emptiness, before the great Vision of God; of our "comeliness being turned into corruption, and our retaining no strength;" a conviction, that what is put before us, in nature or in grace, though true in such a full sense that we dare not tamper with it, yet is but an intimation useful for particular purposes, useful for practice, useful in its department, "until the day-break and the shadows flee away," useful in such a way that both the one and the other representation may at once be used, as two languages, as two separate approximations towards the Awful Unknown Truth, such as will not mislead us in their respective provinces. And thus while we use the language of science, without jealousy, for scientific purposes, we may confine it to these; and repel and reprove its upholders, should they attempt to exalt it and to "stretch it beyond its measure." In its own limited round it has its use, nay, may be made to fill a higher ministry, and stand as a proselyte under the shadow of the temple; but it must not dare profane the inner courts, in which the ladder of Angels is fixed for ever, reaching even to the Throne of God, and "Jesus standing on the right hand of God."

'I will but remind you on this part of the subject, that our Lord is to come from heaven "in like manner" as He went; that He is to come "in clouds," that "every eye shall see Him," and "all tribes of the earth wail because of Him." Attempt to solve this prediction, according to the received theories of science, and you will discover their shallowness. They are unequal to the depth of the problem.'

(From Blessed John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, volume 2, sermon 18 here)

[Image: Ascension of Christ, ivory, c.400. Details here.]

Fake news: talk on 23 May 2017

Suitable for Framing or Wrapping Fish: the Inevitability of Fake News

17:30, Tue 23rd May, 2017

The Chaplaincy Centre, 1 Bristo Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AL

Free.

The talk will be given by Professor Stephen Brown who is Professor of English Literature at the University of Trent, Canada. His talk proposes that the phenomenon of “fake news” is nothing new. Looking at examples from the early evolution of the Edinburgh press, he will explore if news has ever been separate from business and political interests and whether the ephemeral nature of the press on page and screen encourages fakery. The talk will be chaired by Nick Bibby who has a background in political journalism and works for the University of Edinburgh’s School of Social and Political Science.

Scottish Bishops' letter on election

From the SCMO website here:

General Election 2017

A letter from the Bishops of Scotland
To be read and/or distributed at all Masses on 20/21 May 2017

This General Election presents us with an opportunity to reflect on Catholic social teaching. As Christians, we have a civic and moral duty to engage with our democracy. As Catholics, we believe that the primary goal of society should be the common good; that is the good of all people and of the whole person. Indeed, the common good is the very reason political authority exists.

This election provides an opportunity to reflect on the beauty and goodness of Church teaching and to keep that teaching at the forefront of our minds as we engage with candidates across all parties. During elections, a range of issues compete for your attention; we highlight some of them here in the hope that you will reflect on them and raise them with your candidates.

Human Life

Human life at every stage of development is precious and must be protected. Any laws which permit the wilful ending of life must always be rejected as reprehensible and unjust. We must create a culture of life where the most vulnerable are valued and their dignity respected. The undeniable value of human life, created in the image and likeness of God, is fundamental to the Catholic faith. We should remind our politicians that abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia are always morally unacceptable.

Marriage and the Family

Society relies on the building block of the family to exist. The love of man and woman in marriage and their openness to new life is the very basic cell upon which society is built. The wellbeing of society depends on the flourishing and health of family life and those in authority should respond to this with policies that create economic and other advantages for families with children.

Poverty

Sadly, poverty continues to be a scourge for many at home and abroad. Too many people still struggle to make ends meet. This sad reality cannot and should not endure in our country in the twenty-first century. Our concerns should also extend to providing international assistance, while ensuring that aid is not used to support immoral practices such as those which compromise the basic right to life.

Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Immigration

The United Kingdom should be a place where the most vulnerable are welcomed and given the resources necessary to rebuild their lives. At the same time, we should provide for those people living in and around conflict zones, and commit to working towards the peaceful resolution of conflict.

Living in Europe

There are millions of EU citizens living in the UK and millions of UK citizens living across the EU. Mindful of the uncertainty affecting them, candidates should commit to working towards delivering stability and security for them in future. Our politicians should forge and renew international partnerships and establish rights for those who wish to work in the UK, in a spirit of cooperation and friendship.

Freedom of Religion and Conscience

Millions of people worldwide are persecuted for their beliefs. People of faith, including Christians, should be able to freely practise their faith and bear witness to it in their lives, without fear of prejudice, intolerance, abuse or violence. Candidates should be committed to the right of people not to be forced to act against their conscience.

Nuclear Weapons and the Arms Trade

The use of any weapon that causes more than individual and proportionate harm to civilians is immoral and, thus, rejected by the Church. The use of weapons of mass destruction is a serious crime against God and against humanity. While states are entitled to possess the means required for legitimate defence, this must not become an excuse for an excessive accumulation of weaponry which becomes a considerable threat to stability and freedom.

Respectful Politics

Often, politicians are tempted to score points or resort to insults. We need politicians who are willing to change this and to take politics in a new direction, where dialogue is respectful, and where different points of view, including those of a religious nature, are tolerated.

As we cast our votes this election, let us bear in mind the words of Pope Francis when he said, “The greatness of any nation is revealed in its effective care of society’s most vulnerable members.” Our nation, our Parliament, and our Government will be judged on how it treats its poorest and most vulnerable citizens.

Yours devotedly in Christ,

+ Philip Tartaglia, President, Archbishop of Glasgow

+ Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh
+ Joseph Toal, Vice-President, Bishop of Motherwell
+ Hugh Gilbert, Episcopal Secretary, Bishop of Aberdeen
+ Stephen Robson, Bishop of Dunkeld
+ John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley
+ William Nolan, Bishop of Galloway
+ Brian McGee, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles

Reminder for this evening's talk

Drone Wars: The Leading Edge of Emergent Technology and Conflict

17:30, Mon 8th May, 2017

The Chaplaincy Centre, 1 Bristo Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9AL.

Free.

This talk will address the development of drone technology as part of a wider review of how emergent technology might change the face of modern conflict. Apart from examining the utility of such platforms, the presentation will seek to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their use both by traditional state agencies and non-state actors.

The talk will given by Andrew Dolan who works as a security consultant and researcher, with a focus on designing and executing simulation exercises. Andrew has worked with an interagency group based at the UK Defence Academy, where he was director of projects on counter terrorism, the European Commission in Brussels, the Office of the Special Advisor to the NATO Secretary General, and prior to that he served 12 years in the British Army.

The talk will be chaired by Professor Zenon Bańkowski, Emeritus Professor of Legal Theory, the University of Edinburgh.

Zenon Bańkowski is of Polish descent. Born in 1946 in Germany, he was brought up in England and studied in Scotland at the Universities of Dundee and Glasgow. He is emeritus professor of Legal Theory at Edinburgh University. His book, Living Lawfully, looks at the relations between Law and Love and the ethical life of Legal Institutions, using metaphors taken from computing. In his recent work he has taken this further and in particular has looked at the place of visual and movement arts in Law and Legal Education (Arts and the Legal Academy and the Moral Imagination and the Legal Life – jointly edited with Maks Del Mar and Paul Maharg).

Attendance is free, but donations of £5 are invited.

The talk is held in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy Centre and the Catholic Students Union.

First of series of talks on modern conflict

Conflict, Technology and The Individual

A series of lectures, following the November 2016 Conference, on issues associated with modern conflict, including the nexus between technology and violence and the role of the individual. The first three will be in May 2017.

Following on from its recent conference, The Changing Face of Conflict: Modern Society and Human Values, the Institute is providing a series of talks exploring topics from the Conference in greater depth. The first three will be in May.

1 May. Surveillance versus Privacy. Speaker: Iain G Mitchell QC. Iain is a member of the CCBE working party on Surveillance and on the Bar Council of England & Wales Working Party on Legal Professional Privilege and Surveillance. He will look, through the lens of morality and the rule of law, at the tensions arising between safeguarding security and the Human Right to privacy. The talk will be chaired by Andrew Dolan who is a security consultant and researcher.

8 May. Drone Wars: The Leading Edge of Emergent Technology and Conflict. Speaker: Andrew Dolan. Andrew was in the British Army for twelve years, and afterwards worked for NATO and the UK Defence Academy. He currently works as security consultant and researcher. He will address the development of drone technology as part of a wider review of how emergent technology might change the face of modern conflict and will reflect on the ethical dimensions of their use both by traditional state agencies and non-state actors. The talk will be chaired by Professor Zenon Bańkowski, Emeritus Professor of Legal Theory, the University of Edinburgh.

23 May. Suitable for Framing or Wrapping Fish: the Inevitability of Fake News. Speaker: Professor Stephen Brown. Stephen is Professor of English Literature at Trent University in Canada. He has published widely on the history of print in Scotland. His talk proposes that the phenomenon of “fake news” is nothing new. Looking at examples from the early evolution of the Edinburgh press, he will explore if news has ever been separate from business and political interests and whether the ephemeral nature of the press on page and screen encourages fakery. The talk will be chaired by Nick Bibby who has a background in political journalism and works for the University of Edinburgh’s School of Social and Political Science.

All three talks will be held at the University Chaplaincy, 1 Bristo Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AL at 5.30 pm. Attendance is free, but donations of £5 are invited.

The talks are held with the support of the University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy Centre and the Catholic Students Union.