An atheist, an agnostic and a priest debate goodness and God
Theos / London School of Economics Forum on Religion event: ‘With good reason: a debate on the foundations of ethics’
Religion and society think tank Theos and the London School of Economics Forum on Religion will be holding a debate on the foundations of ethics at the London School of Economics on Thursday evening.
The debate will feature journalist and author Mark Vernon, philosopher and editor-in-chief of The Philosopher’s Magazine Julian Baggini and Canon Dr. Angus Ritchie, a practising priest, community organiser and Research Associate at the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University. Jonathan Derbyshire – culture editor of the New Statesman – will chair the event.
The debate will mark the launch of the new Theos report, From Goodness to God: Why Religion Makes Sense of our Moral Commitments by Angus Ritchie. The report argues that atheist understandings of human nature can not explain how we know right from wrong, and that theism is uniquely capable of explaining why human beings are capable of grasping morality at all.
Copies of the report can be downloaded here and Angus Ritchie is available for interview on request.
Notes
1. Theos is a religion and society think tank which offers research and commentary on issues of religion, ethics and society. It was launched in November 2006 with the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the then Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
2. The LSE Forum on Religion was established in 2008 and aims to showcase a range of both academic research and public perspectives on the relationships among religion, culture, and society. In 2012 the Forum was incorporated into the LSE's newly launched Programme for the Study of Religion and Non-Religion, a research initiative looking at the connections between religious and non-religious practices, beliefs, and traditions.
3. To arrange interviews please contact Theos’ press team
77 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2EZ
E. press@theosthinktank.co.uk
T. 0207 828 7777
M. 07914 723839 (out of hours)
4. The event will be held at the LSE Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Thursday 6 December 2012, 6.30-8pm. For more information, please visit the London School of Economics public events page http://www2.lse.ac.uk/publicEvents/events/2012/12/20121206t1830vHKT.aspx
