Category: Responsible Debate

John O’Connor Regent of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University Philosophical and theological debate rarely hits the newspapers. But it did in 1987, when The Times and The Sunday Times ran stories on an academic dispute between Michael Dummett, Wykeham Professor of Logic at the University of…

Ulrich Schmiedel Lecturer in Theology, Politics and Ethics University of EdinburghReligion can stir up controversies, particularly when it colours public debate. Whilst many assume that Europe is secular – that religion has lost its significance, that it has been relegated from the public to the…

Aude Le Guennec Lecturer and Researcher in Design Anthropology, School of Textiles and Design, Heriot-Watt University For many families in the Global North, the 2020s have marked a radical shift in interactions within the household, with an enhanced focus on children’s wellbeing and an unprecedented…

Matthew Chrisman Professor of Ethics and Epistemology, University of Edinburgh Peter McColl Futures + Policy The development of social media in the early 2000s seemed to promise increased opportunity for genuine and constructive political debate. In addition to a place to post pictures of our…

Eamon Keane Convenor of the Scottish Legal Action Group; Early-Career Fellow in Criminal Law and Evidence, The University of Edinburgh Given the importance of the rule of law to a democratic society, those who engage in legal debate should always seek to do so accurately,…

Kevin Guyan Researcher, EDI Scotland In 2019, the Scottish Government initiated a second consultation about proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), aimed at simplifying the process for changing the sex marker on an individual’s birth certificate. As Minister Shirley-Anne Sommerville acknowledged when condemning…

Peter McColl Futures + Policy from “The Second Coming” Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of…

Mirna Šolić Lecturer in Czech and Comparative Literature, University of Glasgow Migration is such a frequent topic of media reporting, political debates and everyday conversations that we no longer pay attention to how this term is used and the meanings it suggests. Scholarship looking at…

Bernhard Blumenau Lecturer, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews Henry Lovat Lecturer in International Law & Politics, University of Glasgow Debate is an integral element of international affairs, given the prevalence of negotiation and the premium placed in this sphere on the peaceful…