Bullfighting banned in Catalonia...

So here we have a clear contrast between claims for cultural value, and claims of universal animal rights... - how do we disentangle them?

Fox news (!) has a view HERE and the usual BBC Have Your Say crowd are HERE

More detail is HERE

The Philosophy Society - July

The next meeting for the philosophy reading group will be Thursday, 1st July at 6pm. As always we will meet at 5.55pm at the entrance to the SU Bar at Park Campus. Paul Caddle is leading the meeting and will be presenting a paper entitled 'What actually is Buddhism?' The discussion does not require any preparatory reading other than a hand-out which will be distributed on the night. So there is not a reason not to come (not even World Cup because we finish at 7.30pm). I look forward to a highly attended and high-spirted discussion.


Shelley

Metal Madnness...

http://conferencealerts.com/seeconf.mv?q=ca16as3a

Heavy Fundametalisms: Can I Play with Madness? Metal, Dissonance, Madness and Alienation

8 to 10 November 2010
Prague, Czech Republic

Now THAT is a conference topic!

Wish I could go...
Would like to do something on NWOBHM, but not sure there's an audience for my paper on Tygers of Pan Tang...

See http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2007/11/philosophy-and-popular-culture.html
for more on Philosophy and Popular Culture

d.

Exams and Cheating

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/15/exam-cheating-brain-food May interest some here!

The Severn Forum Annual Lecture

Wednesday 16 June, 7.45pm

http://www.thesevernforum.org.uk/

Is turning off the aid to poor countries the right Christian response?

Revd Professor Michael Taylor
Emeritus Professor of Social Theology,
University of Birmingham

Main Lecture Theatre, The Park Campus,
University of Gloucestershire
£3 to the public. Free to members and students

Contact: Patricia Downes ( pdownes@glos.ac.uk )

The Philosophy Society

Dr. Emily Ryall from Oxstalls Campus is giving a paper and opening a discussion for the reading group on Thursday, 3rd June. The abstract and reading links are posted below. Remember we are now meeting at the earlier time of 6pm, so meet outside the SU Bar at Park Campus at 5.55pm. The Gallery Room is now closed for the summer and I am still awaiting the booking for a seminar room. I am unable to come tomorrow evening but you will be under the excellent charge of Emily. Is anybody willing to collect the key from security? If somebody could volunteer for this small but important detail, please let me know.

Shelley

Being-for-oneself and being-for-others in sport: An existentialist critique.

I have argued in a previous paper (Ryall 2008) that sport seems to provide an area whereby the nature of being is intensely illuminated; for we are always aware that it is something that is voluntarily engaged in and has no meaning beyond that which we give it. In addition to this, the nature of sport provides a stage upon which the free choices we make are wholly visible both to ourselves and to others, and the emotions of pride and shame, contempt and respect (of varying degrees) are common. Such emotions, according to Sartre, demonstrate the on-going battle between ourselves and others to be authentic and in good-faith, and not fall foul of self deception nor the reduction of oneself by another to a mere object. As such, this paper will attempt to apply some existentialist (mainly Sartrean)ideas regarding authenticity and good-faith to the world of sport, and will consider whether Sartre’s notion of ‘the look’ exposes the problem of these emotions and the way we view ourselves and others in sport.

For my previous, 2008, paper on the nature of being a substitute in sport see: HERE
For an earlier draft of the paper being presented see: HERE

Research Seminar - Metaphysical Sporting Value

Research Seminar (all welcome)

Tuesday 1^st June

11am-12pm

Oxstalls TC217

Metaphysical Sporting Value – Carl Thomen

Why do you play sport? Is it to compete and to win, or is there something more to it than that? Did you know that sport can:

(i) Be a source of self-affirmation?[1]

(ii) Reveal the extent to which humans can truly be said to be free and responsible?[2]

(iii) Be beautiful in its promotion of a greater harmony and balance in one’s life?[3]

[1] There will be no mention here of the type of self-motivating confidence speak you would see on a Tony Robbins Show (“You can do it! You are a special little flower ready to bloom blah blah blah”). This I promise.

2 Woohoo! You are not a slave to the deterministic force of physical causality! (This thought may cause you to want to get drunk in celebration. I am willing to overlook this cause and effect relationship)

3 No Buddhist monks (and probably only three of four hippies) will be hurt during this presentation

---

[1] There will be no mention here of the type of self-motivating confidence speak you would see on a Tony Robbins Show (“You can do it! You are a special little flower ready to bloom blah blah blah”). This I promise.

[2] Woohoo! You are not a slave to the deterministic force of physical causality! (This thought may cause you to want to get drunk in celebration. I am willing to overlook this cause and effect relationship)

[3] No Buddhist monks (and probably only three of four hippies) will be hurt during this presentation.

Gloucestershire Philosophical Society:

Wednesday, May 12th. 2010, 7.30.p.m. FCH, Room HC203.

(Cheltenham, University of Gloucestershire, Swindon Road)

Dr. Jane Monkton-Smith, University of Gloucestershire, will talk on:

"Narratives of Sex, Death and Gender".

Based on her recently published book, Jane applies the methodology of French philosopher Michel Foucault to better understand the practices of rape and murder.

All welcome.

Philosophy Society - May Meeting

We will be meeting the second Thursday, 13th, of May in a room yet to be confirmed at Park Campus. Please note that we will start at 6pm and end at 7.30pm. Instead of reading a text this month we will be watching one. The film is Code Unknown. If you are unable to source the film you can buy a used copy from amazon for a 5ver. Alternatively, I can post you my film once I've watched it. You may even be able to find it in Blockbusters or a local library.

Here is a description of the film:
"Code Inconnu takes the unknown and transforms it into the familiar. Just as in reality the characters exist and their personal story lines remain unfinished. In life we exist without permanent structure and our lives are only completed by death. Michael Haneke is telling us that 117 minutes can never encompass an entire life."

Let me know if you need some help finding the film. My email is: s0510427@connect.glos.ac.uk

Shelley

Philosopher's Football Match

A re-enactment of the Monty Python philosopher's football match is taking place on Sunday May 9th at West Finchley, North London and will see the Greeks take on the Germans. The players will include many notable philosophers, comedians, ex-sports players and journalists, including AC Grayling (German manager), Graham Taylor (Greek manager), Julian Baggini, Tony Hawks, and Nigel Warburton (referree)... oh, and my less notable self (centre midfield for the Germans!).

It is the idea of the Philosophy Shop which aims to bring philosophy to school children and highlight the importance of philosophical and critical thinking.

For tickets and more information, please visit: http://www.philosophersfootball.com/home

Philosophy for Children

Anna Saunders will give a talk on:

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

Wednesday 21st April at 4pm

FCH TC006A

All Welcome

PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN, or P4C for short, was the title Professor Matthew Lipman gave to his project of using the discipline of philosophy as a resource to help children become more intellectually energetic, curious, critical, creative and reasonable. He conceived the project in the late sixties when he was teaching philosophy at Columbia University, and, today, it is a worldwide educational movement. He decided to devote himself to making the resources of philosophy accessible to children through thoughtful dialogue stimulated by the sharing of literature. He was inspired by writers of dialogues such as Plato and Diderot (and by the Charlie Brown cartoons!) to create philosophical dialogues in which reasoning, questioning and conceptual exploration were revealed to be important in the lives of a group of pupils, friends and teachers. Now Philosophy for Children is practiced in more than thirty countries around the world using a wide variety of materials to instigate questioning and inquiry.

Though the materials vary, the basic model of the community of inquiry and the methods Lipman introduced have remained remarkably robust and popular with teachers and pupils alike.

Anna Saunders teaches Religious Studies at Bournside School in Cheltenham.

The talk will be of a general nature and so this should not only appeal to those interested in teaching Religious Studies/Philosophy in schools, but also for parents and for anyone interested in teaching more generally

Trouble in the Cordoba Mezquita

I read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/01/muslim-catholic-mosque-fight that visiting Muslims were not allowed to pray in the Mezquita, now the Cathedral, in Cordoba - where we were just a few weeks ago.

The report has the Catholic church noting, as it is keen to in the leaflet you get on entry, the pre-Muslim religious use of the site - although that building was on much smaller scale than the huge Mosque that was to come.

The Bishop repeated the standard line, which is given every year when Muslims write and ask to be allowed to pray in the building: "The shared use of the cathedral by Catholics and Muslims would not contribute to the peaceful coexistence of the two beliefs"

RPE136 - Cordoba Trip 2010

This year’s Religion, Philosophy and Ethics module, Overseas Study Visit saw a lively group of students head out from a damp Gloucestershire to the Spanish sun...

This module (RPE136) is designed to offer students the opportunity to experience an extended visit in the company of other students to a city or area of historic significance in the study of Christianity and/or other religions. The essence of this full module is a five night and five day study tour of an historic location, such as Rome, Jerusalem or Turkey. For the past two years, our destination has been Cordoba.

Thursday
After a more eventful journey than planned, we arrived at Los Patios once more – for a busier year than last time. We began with our usual orientation tour, and the Museo Vivo de Al-Andalus / Torre de la Calahorra. The wireless-headphone tour ends on the roof, and with a view of the Roman Bridge and Mezquita. After this we headed off for the walk to the Archaeological Museum – with its Roman and other materials – maybe by next year the English-language labels will finally be in place... The day ended with a quiet drink in the Plaza Corredera.

Friday
This was the day when we met up with Imma (our tour guide from last year), who showed us round the Jewish Quarter (and the only remaining synagogue) , the Old Town and Mezquita – with a commentary to contrast with the info you get from the Catholic Church leaflet that you are give on entry. In many ways, the Mezquita is the highlight of the trip – and at the end of the tour, students are left in the building to stay as long as they wish.

Saturday
We spent the morning at the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos in Cordoba – which has a history of the site, as well as spectacular formal gardens.

The afternoon was spent wandering the Old Town and (in an addition to last year) at the Museum of Jewish life ( http://www.casadesefarad.es/in/entrada.html ).

Sunday was a day off, and the staff investigated the Madinat al-Zahra site – as a possible addition for next year. This ruined Islamic city has a new museum, which we checked out – and which is very hi-tech, but also gives a fantastic introduction to the region.

Students explored – one rented a bike (we ran into him at Madinat al-Zahra), some went walking, and others pottered about the Old Town (there are loads of museums in Cordoba – so lots to explore).

Monday
This was the day-trip to Seville. After an early walk, the Avant train sped us to Seville.

Following last year’s geographical challenges, we found our way with more ease – and headed to the astounding site of the Alcázares Reales de Sevilla – in which you could lose days (and indeed students, but most seem to have come back); and then there is – next door – the huge, towering Seville Cathedral, a gothic immensity almost totally obliterating traces of a mosque on the site.

Tuesday
Travel home... Down to Malaga by train this time – but all went smoothly – and we now just await the student assessments!

For info on last year's 2009 trip see http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2009/03/cordoba-field-trip.html

Thanks to all the students who came for making it an exciting and memorable trip...

The Philosophy Society

Last month Paul Caddle ran the meeting on the topic of the philosophy of Bishop Berkeley. Unfortunately I posted a web-link for the reading which is a 74-page piece of writing by Berkeley. Paul had attached a small section of the reading (two pages) on a word document which I failed to see. I apologise if the daunting amount of reading made members shy away from the meeting. We had a healthy turn-out though, with or without a correct reading link. As you all know Berkeley reasoned the existence of God from the empirical evidence of objects existing despite an absence of human perception. To Berkeley, the perception of God locates objects in time and space. Here are the limericks Ronald Knox wrote on behalf of Berkeley's idea:

There was a young man who said God,

must find it exceedingly odd

when he finds that the tree

continues to be

when noone's about in the Quad

Dear Sir, your astonishment's odd

I'm always about in the Quad

And that's why the tree

continues to be

Since observed by, yours faithfully, God

The April meeting will be held on 8th April. I am awaiting an email from Park to confirm which room we will be allocated for the evening. We will meet at 7pm outside the SU Bar and venture to the room together. We will discuss the Philosophy of History and the reading is (eight pages) by Walter Benjamin:

http://www.efn.org/~dredmond/Theses_on_History.PDF

Look forward to having an invigorating discussion.

Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Research Seminar

Dr. David Webster on 'Western Buddhism: The Challenge of Authenticity'

5.00 pm Thursday 25th March

Francis Close Hall, room TC006b

All Welcome!