London: Ethics lectures at Heythrop College this November

Heythrop College - image Mary Carson

A series of lectures on ethics begins this Wednesday at Heythrop College, University of London. Each lecture will start at 6pm, followed by a short musical interlude, questions from the audience, and a wine reception from 7.30 – 8.30pm. Lectures are free of charge but booking is essential at: www.heythrop.ac.uk/events

The full programme follows:

Wednesday 6 November 2013, 6pm

Lord Robert Skidelsky, How Much is Enough? The Love of Money and the Case for a Good Life

The first of the Ethics Lecture Series will be delivered by Lord Robert Skidelsky on the topic of his highly acclaimed book (under the same title), co-authored with his son philosopher Edward Skidelsky. The following questions will be addressed: ‘What constitutes the good life?’, ‘What is the true value of money?’, ‘Is economics a moral science?’, ‘Why was the great economist John Maynard Keynes wrong?’ and ‘What does it mean to translate (moral) philosophy to public policy?’ Some radical economic policies will be proposed so that the true human needs can be met.

Lord Robert Skidelsky, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick.

Wednesday 13 November 2013, 6pm

Dr Piers Benn, Conscience and its meaning today

This lecture will explore the nature and significance of the conscience of the individual. If conscience is a source of moral knowledge, it is clearly fallible, as well as vulnerable to cultural and psychological explanations of its deliverances. Seen as the capacity for moral reflection, it is an indispensable part of the make-up of normal people. But what authority does an individual’s conscience have, and what respect should it command from others? It is clear that a person’s conscience can tell him or her to do terrible things; yet, at the same time, it is arguably wrong to disobey one’s own conscience. This apparent paradox will be discussed, and applied to current disputes – e.g. about the legitimacy of ‘conscience clauses’ which allow health care professionals to opt out of controversial procedures like abortion.

Piers Benn lectures in Ethics at Heythrop College, Imperial College and Fordham University.

Wednesday 20 November, 6pm

Mr Russell Sparkes, Ethics in Action: The Challenge of Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility

In his lecture Russell Sparkes will talk about his twenty years' experience of both trying to implement socially responsible investment strategies and of producing academic research about them. He describes the key role that institutional investors can play in persuading companies to adopt corporate social responsibility, and expounds the key global role of church investors in doing so. In particular, he discusses the work of the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church and its theological basis. He will also describe some major issues such as climate change and the Living Wage.

Russell Sparkes is Chief Investment Officer for the Methodist Church and one of the world’s leading experts on Socially Responsible Investment.

Wednesday 27 November 2013, 6pm

Dr Anna Abram, Imagination and the Art of Moral Transformation

Imagination, despite its existential evidence (we constantly think through images, whether we are awake or asleep) has been largely ignored in theoretical moral reflection. Confused with fantasy, it was often considered to be a faculty reserved for artists rather than serious thinkers, with a few exceptions. Yet mobilised and nourished imagination is what facilitates ‘moral seeing’, expands moral understanding and fosters moral transformation. This lecture, by looking into the biblical story of King David and Bathsheba and its representation in paintings, will explore what moral transformation through imagination might exactly mean and how what we ‘see’ and what we fail to ‘see’ gives the direction to what we choose and who we become.

Anna Abram lectures in Ethics at Heythrop College and is Head of Department of Pastoral and Social Studies.