Worst Argument - result soon - snow permitting..

Well, chaos here due to snow and ice (we can't cope in the UK with this weather) meaning two days of cancelled lectures, and a conference tomorrow.

Nonetheless, the results of the 'Worst Argument' competition will be announced on this blog in the next few days...

d.

Philosophy Society cancellation

Due to weather conditions the Philosophy Society will be cancelled tomorrow night. Everybody now has another month to read Machiavelli's The Prince, slim in size but broad in content. The next meeting will be Thursday, 5th March.

Look forward to a lively debate then!

Shelley




click to enlarge map

Cordoba Field Trip

Students wishing to come on the trip to Cordoba (all three years, not just those on OTC136) can now book - we need you to book flights and pay the deposit by the 12th of Feb though:
If you have not received the full details by email by Wednesday 4th Feb - email pdownes@glos.ac.uk and ask Patricia to send them to you...
Cheers, D.

THIS TRIP HAS NOW HAPPENED: see http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2009/03/cordoba-field-trip.html
links here to lots of pictures...

Worst Argument?

Click here: http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2008/12/britains-worst-argument.html if you are looking for the 'worst argument' competition: we will be announcing a winner around the end of this week..
Cheers
Dave

Fear of Death (video)

An interesting video here - from Yale - on the Fear of Death: Maybe I should adopt the cross-legged, converse-and-jeans look for my RPE301 lectures?
Dave

Islam Conference 2009, 28th April: Shi'ism - Past and Present

On Tuesday 28th April 2009, the Department of Humanities at the University of Gloucestershire will host its annual Islam conference.

This year the topic is:

SHI’ISM:
PAST ANDPRESENT

The event will be held at:
TC001 - Tiered Lecture Theatre, FCH Campus, Swindon Road, Cheltenham.
Contact pdownes@glos.ac.uk for details: Full Programme to follow shortly - all welcome (including students!)..

You can book HERE

Four Noble Truths podcast

Those of you studying our Indian Religions module may wish to visit http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2007/02/buddhism-podcast-2-four-noble-truths.html to download a podcasst of my reading the Mahasatipatthana Sutta, about the Four Noble Truths.

Hope this is useful - and that you enjoy the visit of today's meditation teacher...

d.

The Limits to Rights

What are rights? Can they only be ascribed to human beings or also to animals... the environment... inanimate objects?

Jonathon Wolff, Christopher Stone and Kenan Malik discuss these questions on the BBC Radio 4 'Law in Action' programme.

It is definitely worth listening to this articulate and stimulating discussion.

Seventh Seal (again)

Hi,
We will be looking at the film The Seventh Seal in class today.

Look at http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/seal.htm for some ideas (see list of questions near base of the page) - and make comment via this blog post.

Other ideas are at http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2008/02/seventh-seal.html

Prefer the Bill and Ted version? see
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=flcv_TnH7Mk

D.

Sense about Science?

Following RPE201 (Philosophy, Science and Belief)- many of us have been talking about related issues - - I thought this video might then be pertinent..
D.

Why Study Philosophy?

We have discussed this previously - see HERE and HERE to look at what we came up with - but I wanted to raise it with a new 'batch' of students - our current first year cohort.

I have pasted below the initial questions I have asked the RPE187 class - and await the answers with interest. [Other readers of the blog are welcome to join in!]
Cheers,
dave

So: why study philosophy

1 – Pragmatic:

What skills can you take from the subject? What else (if anything) will it make you good at?

2 – Social / Political:

Does a philosophical education make you a more aware citizen – who makes better choices?

Are you more moral as a result of the study of ethics?

Is a society with more philosophers in it, more or less likely to be:

• Fairer?
• Smooth functioning?
• Well organised?
• Argumentative and disputatious?
  

3 – Personal

Has your study so far impacted upon you as a person?

Is this a subject which changes people – unlike, perhaps, some other subjects (can you think of an example of a subject which doesn’t change people?)?

If it does bring about personal change – what is the nature of this change?

Other: Are there other reasons?

Philosophy Reading Group Update

The Philosophy Society is hotting up with enthusiastic responses to the reading (along with many other topics). Next month's reading is Machiavelli's The Prince. It promises to be an invigorating topic: cruelty, evil, politics, being misunderstood, Nietzsche's Ubermensch. Just the right tone to prepare us for February, the month of love. For more information the reading group blog can be found here:

http://readingphilosophy.wordpress.com/

We will meet Thursday, 5th February, 7pm, The Gallery Room (above the SU Bar at Park Campus). New-comers welcome!

If you have any questions please contact Shelley Campbell s0510427

RPE Research Seminar Series

We are pleased to announce the start of a series of research seminars in Religion, Philosophy & Ethics at the University of Gloucestershire, in Cheltenham.

Religion, Philosophy & Ethics: Research Seminar Series

Wednesday, 21st January 2009, 6pm - 7.30pm, HC204,
Francis Close Hall Campus

Are Buddhist Ethics Kantian?

Speaker: Justin Whitaker

University of Montana / Goldsmiths College

Free of Charge – All Welcome (but let me know that you are coming, if possible - dwebster@glos.ac.uk )

You can find out more about our speaker, Justin, at his blog: American Buddhist Perspective

Cheers,
Dave

Nigel M's new website

Some of you may be interested in a new website from our esteemed colleague, and poet, Dr Nigel McLouglhin.

Nigel is Reader in Creative Writing, and Course Leader for the University's MA in Creative & Critical Writing.

You can listen to him reading his work, and find out about readings, at www.nigelmcloughlin.co.uk

Kuhn, Anamolies, and those pesky Homeopaths

Those who enjoyed RPE201 (Philosophy, Science and Belief) may enjoy the piece at http://apgaylard.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/expect-the-unexpected/ which discusses how to make sense of the role of anomalous results / findings in the context of Kuhn's thought.

It also makes reference to the way that homeopathy has tended to mis-use scientific ideas (see badscience.net for some excellent material on this, and the role of evidence, risk and the like in science). If you want to understand more about evidence-based medicine and the problem with homeopathy - there is a fuller piece at http://www.badscience.net/2007/11/a-kind-of-magic/ which is well worth a read...


Dave