News & Events

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…

It is with the greatest of sadness that we advise the RSE Young Academy of Scotland has lost one of its members, Stephen O’Rourke QC. Stephen was called to the Bar in 2002 and was appointed as QC in 2017. His accomplishments in the law…

On Human Rights Day, Dr Hyab Yohannes reflects on the realities of state asylum systems that dehumanise innocent people and calls for a fundamental shift in our vision of humanity. Today is Human Rights Day, the day in which the human race celebrates the supposedly…

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…

YAS members at the University of St Andrews launched an initiative to present short online video stories focusing on the diversity of St Andrews staff experiences during the Covid-19 lockdown. “St Andrews Lockdown Tales” allowed colleagues from across the University community to explore, in their…

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,…

Matthew Chrisman Professor of Ethics and Epistemology, University of Edinburgh Democracies are commonly said to be more responsive to the needs of their citizens than any other political arrangement. The idea is that majority elections function (perhaps imperfectly) to aggregate citizens’ diverse private preferences  and,…

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…