Thinking on Sunday was launched as a new series of events with different themes to the Sunday Lectures. These interesting and stimulating sessions have a talk or presentation followed by Q&A, debate and discussion. The speakers are experts in their field, and/or have a passion for subject. Especially popular with our ethical society members, Thinking on Sunday is open to the public and promises to motivate and nourish the mind!
In 1919 Nancy Astor was elected as the Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton, becoming the first woman MP to take her seat in the House of Commons. Rachel Reeves MP writes of the inspirational achievements of women in parliament over the course of the past 100 years.
From secret military islands to tunnels deep beneath London, writer and activist Guy Shrubsole unearths truths concealed since the Domesday Book about who is really in charge of this country – at a time when Brexit is meant to be returning sovereignty to the people.
Kerry Hudson discusses her book Lowborn with James Bloodworth, author of Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain. Lowborn is a powerful, personal, agenda-changing work of non-fiction on poverty in Britain – a unique book that we all need to pay attention to.
Is public health trapped in a web of influence? Jonathan H. Marks argues that public-private partnerships create “webs of influence” that undermine the integrity of public health agencies and distort health policy and research.
Join award-winning science writer Angela Saini as she dissects the political roots of race, why scientists can’t seem to look beyond it, and the dark and dangerous ways in which scientific racism persists to this day.
Oh Mr Horne, how bona to vada your dolly old eke!
When being gay could result in criminal prosecution – or worse – Polari offered its speak-ers a degree of public camouflage and community. Paul Baker recounts the story of Polari with skill, erudition and tenderness.
In an increasingly divided world, how we might change the minds of others? Philosopher and journalist Eleanor Gordon-Smith discusses some lucid, gripping stories that show the limits of human reason with Little Atoms podcaster Neil Denny.
Revealed: how Brexit will change Britain. As Gavin Esler explains, from the food markets of Kent to NHS operating theatres to the boardrooms of big employers, Brexit throws up many surprises.
From Blurred Lines to gang signs, how does society cause toxic masculinity? But what is masculinity? Dominating the world around us, from Trump’s twitter outbursts to deadly gun violence, from male suicide rates to incels on Reddit and 4chan, masculinity is perceived to be ‘toxic’, ‘fragile’ and ‘in crisis’.
Walking upright on two feet is a uniquely human skill. It defines us as a species and it’s this overlooked ability that could make unbelievable changes to us as individuals and to society, if we embraced it. Shane O’Mara celebrates this miraculous ability.
In a world where fake news, mistrust of experts, prejudice and ignorance all too often hold sway, we can all too easily be misled over issues such as vaccinations, climate change or conspiracy theories. Knowing how to think clearly and critically has literally helped save the world.
In the 2010s socioeconomic factors led to the widespread and increased disenfranchisement of poorer people from the mainstream media and the institutions shaping it. To put it plainly: the vast majority of people now tasked with creating our media simply lack the sensibilities that have always driven artistic innovation.
