In an opinion piece in The Irish Times yesterday, I wrote about what I perceive to be a counterproductive and unnecessarily hostile tone to the debate between atheists and Christians, citing the recent discussions on the role of religion in education.

I’ve previously written about the question of school patronage in Ireland, and why the Catholic Church should abandon its “Catholic first” admissions policy not just on humanist grounds but on Christian grounds.

To clarify a few points, the article yesterday was not prescriptive – and nor was it designed to be – regarding the best approach to school divestment or patronage reform. It was a commentary on the nature of this, and similar discussions, where atheists and Catholics have clashed over issues of public concern.  Continue reading →

Unthinkable took to the road this month for a debate, “Are science and religion really in conflict?”

(Left to right: William Reville, Siobhán Garrigan, Joe Humphreys, Cathy Barry, Kevin Mitchell. Pics: Alan Betson/IrishTimes)

Who won? Was there a knock-down argument to resolve this vexed question?

Judge for yourself. It’s remixed here as a three-minute Socratic dialogue (with apologies to Plato):

The Republic of Unthinkable

I went down to the Science Gallery in Dublin with William Reville (WR), emeritus professor of biochemistry at UCC; Dr Siobhán Garrigan (SG), chair of Catholic theology, TCD; Dr Kevin Mitchell (KM), neuroscientist and blogger at wiringthebrain.com; and Cathy Barry (CB), philosophy graduate and blogger at irishphilosophy.com, to talk about gods.

WR: “I am a scientist and I accept everything that science has discovered and will discover, but I am also a Christian. It is my belief that science and religion occupy separate domains and there is no necessary conflict between science and religion once each remains in its own domain.”  Continue reading →

‘Unthinkable: Great Ideas for Now’ from Irish Times Books www.irishtimes.com/irishtimesbooks

New thinking is needed to tackle the problems of a rapidly-changing world.

Irish Times journalist and author Joe Humphreys tracks down leading thinkers to answer some of the most pressing questions facing humanity. Drawn from his absorbing columns in The Irish Times, Unthinkable seeks to road-test your reasoning, and raise the quality of public debate.

He speaks to 70 philosophers and scientists who put forward ideas capable of changing not just your mind but the world for the better.

– How do you eat ethically?

– Why should men care about gender equality?

– Can atheists tolerate God?

– Who’s in charge, you or your brain?

– How should we deal with disagreement?

In Unthinkable no question in out of bounds and no idea too radical to dismiss outright.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.” – Albert Einstein

Unthink front and back cover

The Irish Times, OpEd, Aug 21st 2015, Joe Humphreys writes:

There was once a time when popularity was viewed as suspect. “Popular culture”, for example, was what you called stuff that people liked but was generally rubbish. It was distinguished from actual culture, which people had to learn to appreciate and which could be measured by objective standards.

Similarly, popular – or populist – governments were what you called jingoistic if not dangerously nationalistic entities which pandered to citizens’ basest instincts. The Brazilian educator Paulo Freire captured some of the wariness of a previous generation of populism when he said: “The multitude is always in the wrong.”

For more read:

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/you-may-not-like-this-article-if-you-re-fond-of-clickbait-and-popular-culture-1.2323243

The Irish Times, feature, Sat Aug 15th:

We’re only about 2,500 years behind the Greeks but Philosophy is finally making it on to the school curriculum. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is drafting plans for a short course in the subject to be introduced as part of the new Junior Cycle curriculum.

It comes as a fresh wave of research highlights the benefits of philosophy for children (or “P4C”). A study at Durham University of 3,000 pupils in 48 state primary schools published last month associated P4C with significant gains in children’s literacy and maths scores, and even improved conduct.

For more read:

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/philosophy-the-subject-that-improves-children-s-literacy-numeracy-and-conduct-1.2317084

The Irish Times, OpEd, Fri Aug 14th, Joe Humphreys writes:

A hazard of this time of year is bumping into parents bragging about how many points their children got in the Leaving Cert. It’s not just distasteful, it’s ignorant because it assumes their little darlings deserved what they got.

Anyone who is on nodding terms with reality will know that you don’t get what you deserve in life. Some people are born with severe disabilities. Others suffer physical or psychological damage as they grow up. Others inherit a handy set of genes, and are raised in stable homes where there’s ample money for summer tuition and maths grinds.

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/time-for-government-to-stand-up-for-equality-in-education-1.2316309

The Irish Times ‘Unthinkable’ column started out as an intellectual experiment for World Philosophy Day in 2013. Over a year later, it has reached a half-century of columns, covering discussions from the nature of consciousness to the ethics of selfies. Showcasing Ireland’s philosophical talent – yes, it does exist – ‘Unthinkable’ continues every Tuesday in The Irish Times and irishtimes.com

https://joehumphreys.com/unthinkable/

(c) The Irish Times/Dearbhla Kelly