In this series of talks and events we seek to further our understanding of what makes us 'human' and the meaning of life. This series is presented by Sophia Europa Oxford and the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford.
In this series of talks and events we seek to further our understanding of what makes us 'human' and the meaning of life. This series is presented by Sophia Europa Oxford and the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford.
In this series of talks and events we seek to further our understanding of what makes us 'human' and the meaning of life. This series is presented by Sophia Europa Oxford and the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford.
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Short interesting lectures from top Oxford academics. Includes a series of short lectures about love, held on Valentines Day 2011.
Rank #1: Presentation and Perception on Online Dating Sites .
Joseph Walther describes the hyperpersonal model and its relevance to the study of online dating. 'Idealisation' of perception and presentation online can facilitate the selection process, but may have unforseen consequences when people eventually meet. In conversation with Nicole Ellison, Joseph Walther describes the hyperpersonal model and its relevance to the study of online dating. He explains how the 'idealisation' of both perception and presentation online can facilitate our natural processes of selection, but also suggests that the specific presentational affordances of computer mediated communication may have unforeseen (and likely troublesome) consequences when individuals finally meet.
Rank #2: Partner Compatibility and Online Dating Sites .
Erina Lee discusses the importance of similarity between partners in terms of long-term relationship satisfaction. She discusses some compatibility dimensions that have been considered by eHarmony, as well as future directions for research. Erina Lee of eHarmony Labs discusses the importance of similarity between partners in the context of different kinds of online relationship. She explains how similarity is indelibly intertwined with long-term relationship satisfaction, and reveals the surprisingly high levels of cultural variation in the way that similarity can be constructed. She goes on to discuss some of the many dimensions of compatibility that have been considered by eHarmony, before giving her thoughts on future directions for research on matchmaking to the OII's own Bernie Hogan.
Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion has been a run away best seller. It has stimulated global debate, not always very charitable, about whether Dawkins is right to say that it is probably the case that God does not exist. During this weekend philosophers Marianne Talbot and Stephen Law will discuss the debate from a philosophical point of view. What are Dawkins' arguments? Are they good arguments? Are they conclusive arguments? Where does the debate about God's existence stand now?
Rank #1: The God Delusion: Questions and Answers .
Stephen Law and Marianne Talbot take part in a panel discussion with Tom Fisher, chairman of the Oxford Philosophical Society, chairing. They answer questions form the audience about The God Delusion and discuss the philosophical issues surrounding it.
Rank #2: Attacking the God hypothesis in other ways .
Stephen Law gives the fourth talk on Richard Dawkins' The God Delsuon as part of The God Delusion Weekend.
Does Religion Lead to Tolerance or Intolerance? An international three-day conference in Oxford, organised by the Science and Religious Conflict Project team. It is an interdisciplinary conference on the theme of empirically informed approaches to understanding the ways in which religion increases or decreases tolerance.
Rank #1: Personal religion, tolerance, and universal compassion .
Professor Dan Batson (University of Kansas) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Dr Steve Clarke (Oxford).
Rank #2: The view from the East pole: Buddhist and Confucian soteriologies and tolerance .
Professor Owen Flanagan (Duke University) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Dr Guy Kahane (Oxford).
The mind is a fascinating entity. Where, after all, would we be without it? But what exactly is it? These days many people believe the mind simply is the brain. Descartes would have disagreed profoundly. He recommended a dualism of substance. Modern philosophers are again finding various forms of dualism attractive because the problems with physicalism are so intractable. One such problem is whether the mind, like the brain, is located in space (specifically inside the head). But does philosophy have anything sensible to say about the mind? Surely today it is scientists we should be listening to? Come and find out why this is – and always will be – false.
Rank #1: Part 5: Questions and Answers .
Marianne Talbot presents the last of five episodes of the Romp through the Philosophy of Mind, engaging in a questions and answers discussion with the audience.
Rank #2: Part 4: Are We Asking the Wrong Questions? .
Marianne Talbot presents the fourth of five episodes of the Romp through the Philosophy of Mind, wondering if we are asking the wrong questions?
Sacrifice is at the heart of religion. It is not surprising, then, that the 'turn to religion' we have witnessed over the past two decades has led to a renewed interest in sacrifice as well. In light of this, the Centre for Theology and Modern European Thought at the University of Oxford presents five interviews with contributors to the recently-published book Sacrifice and Modern Thought (ed. Zachhuber and Meszaros, 2013). At around 15 minutes in length, each interview provides an insight into how the modern fascination for the topic of sacrifice has evolved, and how the concept of sacrifice in turn has shaped theological debate, the literary imagination and anthropological theory. We hope you enjoy the recordings.
Rank #1: 5. Sacrifice in the Vedic Religions .
Professor Gavin Flood talks to Tim Howles about his chapter 'Sacrifice as Refusal' In this interview, Professor Gavin Flood (Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion, University of Oxford) considers a number of theorists of sacrifice, including Freud, Girard and Georges Bataille, in a comparative study of the idea of 'sacrifice as refusal' in the Vedic religions.
Rank #2: 4. Human Sacrifice in the Mesoamerican Cultures .
Dr Laura Rival talks to Tim Howles about her chapter 'The Aztec Sacrificial Complex' In this interview, Dr Laura Rival (Lecturer at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford) considers the phenomenon of human sacrifice in the Mesoamerican pre-modern cultures. Her claim is that such a study contrasts with and ultimately challenges some of the theorising of sacrifice that is based on Judeo-Christian culture.
In this series of talks and events we seek to further our understanding of what makes us 'human' and the meaning of life. This series is presented by Sophia Europa Oxford and the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford.
Rank #1: The nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin .
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Prof. Richard Dawkins and Sir Anthony Kenny took part in a discussion titled "The nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin". Held at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford in Feb 2012.
An introductory series by Marianne Talbot exploring bioethical theories and their philosophical foundations. These podcasts will explain key moral theories, common moral arguments, and some background logic. This series accompanies Bioethics: An Introduction (CUP, 2012) http://amzn.to/HZQwbS
Rank #1: Virtue Ethics .
First of nine short introductory podcasts on Bioethics by Marianne Talbot.
Rank #2: Utilitarianism .
Third of nine short introductory podcasts on Bioethics by Marianne Talbot.
The Museum of the History of Science houses an unrivaled collection of historic scientific instruments in the world's oldest surviving purpose-built museum building, the Old Ashmolean on Broad Street, Oxford. By virtue of the collection and the building, the Museum occupies a special position, both in the study of the history of science and in the development of western culture and collecting.
Rank #1: Al-Mizan: Mapping the Earth in Medieval Islam .
A public lecture by Professor Emilie Savage-Smith, FBA, Emeritus Professor of the History of Islamic Science, University of Oxford. Part of the Al-Mizan exhibition which explores the connections between the sciences and arts in Muslim societies.
Rank #2: Interview: Peter Scott on Marconi and Radio Manufacturing .
Professor Peter Scott discusses his research into competitive advantage and innovation in the interwar British radio industry using the Marconi Archive, Britain's most extensive and important archive for the radio and related industries. The first Douglas Byrne Marconi Fellowship was awarded in 2011 to Professor Peter Scott, of the Henley Business School, University of Reading, for research into competitive advantage and innovation in the interwar British radio industry. Professor Scott will deliver the first Douglas Byrne Marconi Lecture on March 1, 2011. "The Marconi fellowship has provided me with the resources to undertake in-depth research using Britain's most extensive and important archive for the radio and related industries", says Professor Scott. "The Marconi collection sheds important light on all aspects of the early radio industry and constitutes a key historical resource for anyone undertaking research in this area." The Marconi Collection was donated to the University of Oxford by Marconi plc in December 2004. A catalogue of the archive, funded by the Wireless Preservation Society, is available online from the Bodleian Library. A catalogue of the objects can be found on the website of the Museum of the History of Science. One of the most interesting sections of the archive relates to the Titanic disaster in 1912. The role played by wireless telegraphy in saving lives during this tragic event is well documented in the archive, which features the logs of ships' radio operators recording the first and last distress signals from the Titanic as well as thousands of other messages exchanged before, during and after the emergency. As well as documents relating to Marconi and his Wireless Telegraph Company, there are records of numerous other electronic and electrical engineering companies, all of which were ultimately absorbed into the General Electric Company (GEC) which in 1999 changed its own name to Marconi. The fellowship is named in memory of its founder, Douglas Byrne.
William Godwin (1756-1836), philosophical anarchist, novelist and intellectual, kept a diary from 1788 until a few weeks before his death. The diary has recently been transcribed and edited and is available on the web at: http://godwindiary.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. It offers a hugely detailed if deeply cryptic window on Godwin's literary life, his familial life (as the lover and then husband of Mary Wollstonecraft and the father of Mary Shelley), and his connections into an extraordinary range of literary, political, artistic and theatrical networks over nearly fifty years. Experts from Oxford University discuss the life and times of this famous 18th Century writer.
Rank #1: Godwin and London in the 1820s .
A discussion of religious dissent, the development of a secular education at London University in the 1820s, and Godwin's own lifelong concern with education.
Rank #2: Godwin and his historical context .
A discussion of the historical period in which William Godwin was writing and the social and political pressures that he was working under at the time.
The Darwin 2009 Festival, 5-10 July 2009, celebrated the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentenary of the publication of his most famous book, On the Origin of Species. About 1500 people attended the core Festival and at least the same number again attended the related exhibitions, tours and fringe events during the week. The programme comprised over 70 separate events and included 110 outstanding speakers. Intended to appeal to a broad audience, from academics to teenagers, the Festival covered a highly varied range of topics. The Festival encapsulated the current state of understanding of evolution. It addressed the agreements and disagreements; it revealed how far we have come and the possibilities and choices that may face us in the future. Video recordings of all the morning sessions listed by day, can be found on these web pages. Each session commences with a quote from Darwin’s correspondence. This is followed by two talks of around 25 minutes each. These are followed by presentations from 4 panellists each taking around 8 minutes. A selection of audio recordings of talks from the afternoon sessions can also be found on these pages. The full programme and abstract booklet for the Festival can be down loaded at http://www.darwin2009.cam.ac.uk/Festival/
Rank #1: Dame Gillian Beer, Darwin's universal impact, Mon 6 July.
Darwin imagining others: observation and language. Professor Dame Gillian Beer (University of Cambridge, UK). Summary: Darwin was a famously attentive observer, responding to movement, gesture, and the invisible thrust of desires in an array of life forms from oysters and climbing plants to human beings of many cultures. This talk will draw on materials from the whole course of Darwin's life and writing. It will demonstrate how speculation in his early private notebooks fuels his much later arguments and it will investigate how Darwin explores the awkward fit between 'expression' and 'emotions'. Being human, in his understanding, implies the effort to recognize, and perhaps to enter, other forms of consciousness. Language, as a particularly human tool, is itself caught up in the evolutionary process - 'half-art and half-instinct', as he observed. How does it help - and hamper - the investigation of different species? And what can be learnt about being human by mimicry and empathy with other sentient beings? These are questions that stretch Darwin's capacities and whose challenges he meets. The talk will investigate the degree to which his arguments still trouble our understanding.
Rank #2: Jon Hodge, Darwin's universal impact, Mon July 6.
How could Charles Darwin have all these impacts? Dr Jon Hodge (University of Leeds, UK) Summary: Were Darwin the English parson naturalist of legend, his vast impact would be paradoxical. See the young Darwin, not as failed Anglican cleric, but successful Scottish (and French and German) man of science and philosophy, an international intellectual indeed (more Edinburgh than Cambridge) and the paradox is lost.
Research in Medicine needs to ultimately translate into better treatment of patients. Researchers at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, collaborate to develop better care and improved preventive measures. Findings in the laboratory are translated into changes in clinical practice, from Bench to Bedside.
Rank #1: Human Genetics .
Professor Peter Donnelly tells us how genetics helps us to understand common diseases and develop new drugs. Understanding which variations in our DNA affect susceptibility to diseases can provide new insights into the disease process and lead to new treatments. Professor Peter Donnelly leads large collaborative human genetic studies, and his group develops and applies statistical methods to extract maximal information from the large datasets generated by genomic studies.
Rank #2: Cancer Immunlogy .
Professor Vincenzo Cerundolo tells us how research in immunology leads to the development of new cancer treatments. Immunotherapy stimulates the bodys immune system and can be a powerful treatment for cancer. With the aim of developing better treatment strategies for cancer patients, Professor Vincenzo Cerundolo is working to gain a better understanding of the cell-to-cell interplay required for optimal expansion and activation of tumour-specific T cell populations.
The BEYOND Center Lectures
Rank #1: The God Delusion.
Rank #2: The God Delusion.
Exploring various aspects of modern and ancient metaphysics as they relate to the hypothesis that powers (or dispositions) are the sole elementary building block in ontology.
Rank #1: Aristotle's Dynamics in Physics VII 5: the Importance of Being Conditional .
Henry Mendell (California State) gives a talk for the Power Structualism in Ancient Ontologies series Abstract: Historians in the twentieth century argued about whether Aristotle presents a general theory of dynamics in Physics VII 5 or merely presents examples from ordinary experience, which he then applies abstractly to arguments about the unmoved mover and general issues about the balance of elements in the sublunary realm. Recently the pendulum of opinion has swayed towards taking Aristotle's account more robustly as a general theory of dynamics, but more can be said. I shall argue that one reason why the debate arose was because both sides have seen the examples in the context of Greek style mathematics, where we expect generalized principles and theorems, often couched in a modern, anachronistic representation. I suggest that the dynamics come from an older mathematical tradition, which we associate with Babylon and Egypt and which, I believe, was ordinary Greek mathematical practice even in the fourth century BCE. Mathematicians present their work as problems, given such and such, here is how to calculate such and such. It is also characteristic of a problem and the procedure for its solution that actual numbers are used. We find both in Aristotle's presentation. Aristotle's rules are stated in the form of conditionals with actual numbers. So the rules have the form: if mover A moves moved B in time D over distance G, then one may vary A, B, D, and G in the following ways, e.g. 1/2 B over 2 D. The initial conditions in the antecedent, in effect, implicitly set the parameters for the variations in the consequent, as given by example. In this way, the procedures are general over all dynamic problems set up conditionally. Aristotle proceeds to set boundaries on the consequent. However, the text that we have at this point, regardless of variations in the textual tradition, is mathematically bizarre. Whether this is Aristotle's error or an early error in the transmission of the text, the anomaly contributes to the evidence that Aristotle is actually borrowing his examples from an earlier work on dynamics that was written in the problem tradition.
Rank #2: Relations All The Way Down? .
Stephen Mumford (Nottingham University) gives a talk for the Metaphysics of Relations Conference, held on 3rd-5th October 2012 in University of London. Co-written by Sebastian Briceno.
Find out more about our night sky, from new planets to far-off galaxies and the vastness of the Universe. A series of short talks and presentations for the general public from leading astronomy researchers at the Oxford University Physics department - http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/
Rank #1: The Philae - Rosetta Comet Mission .
On 12 November 2014, the Philae probe achieved the first-ever soft landing on a comet nucleus. Colin Wilson, a researcher from Oxford, gives an update on the landing and explains the history and science behind this incredible mission.
Rank #2: Galactic Archaeology: Mining Stellar Fossils in the Milky Way Halo .
Payel Das gives a short talk on mining stellar fossils in the Milky Way halo.
Humanitas is a series of Visiting Professorships at Oxford and Cambridge intended to bring leading practitioners and scholars to both universities to address major themes in the arts, social sciences and humanities. Created by Lord Weidenfeld, the Programme is managed and funded by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue with the support of a series of generous benefactors and administered by the Humanities Division in Oxford and the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) in Cambridge.Humanitas will welcome some twenty Visiting Professors, who will be appointed for a given academic year and invited to deliver a series of lectures, followed by a related symposium, workshop or masterclass for graduate students.
Rank #1: Humanities. Are they important? .
Humanitas Visting Professor Stephen Greenblatt discusses whether humanities are important. Humanitas Visiting Professor in Museums, Galleries, and Libraries 2015-2016, Stephen Greenblatt, discusses whether humanities are important in a time when they are most pervasive in society, and when there seems to be a shrinking of public support for them.
Rank #2: The Holocaust, Narrative and Remembrance - Part One .
Part 1/2. Workshop with with Prof Dan Stone (RHUL), Paul Salmons (the IOE's Centre for Holocaust Education) and Prof Mark Roseman (Indiana University).
