We’ve all seen the increasing amount of “mindful philosophy” and “practical philosophy” books in shops and online, catering for an ever-increasing desire to look at the “big questions” of existence and what it means to be alive. In Trinity, societies such as the Christian Union and the Metaphysical Society (the Metafizz) are highly aware of the need to provide a platform for the questions surrounding these issues to be tackled. As such, this evening the societies will host a debate entitled “Does God Exist?”, featuring Dr William Lane Craig and Dr Daniel Came and chaired by the Head of Trinity’s Department of Philosophy, Prof Paul O’Grady.
Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University. He earned two doctoral theses, first at the University of Birmingham where he received his PhD, and then at the University of Munich where he became a Doctor of Theology in 1984. Craig is an internationally recognised speaker and debater, and has authored or edited over 30 books. He has spoken at many of the most prestigious universities right across the globe, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Moscow, and Peking. Craig is also well known after Richard Dawkins refused to debate him in 2011.
Came is currently a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Hull. He received his BA and M Phil degrees in philosophy from the University of Cambridge, and his D Phil in philosophy from the University of Oxford. He is both founder and organiser of the Hull Philosophy Club, which regularly hears from leading philosophers, speaking on a variety of topics. Recent speakers have included Prof Tim Crane, Prof Timothy Williamson and Dr Andrew Huddleston.
Whether you consider yourself a Christian or an atheist, the question of God’s existence has implications for the way we live our lives. We all have beliefs about the answer to this question, but often they are beliefs that we never really discuss, or listen to discussion about. We rarely get the opportunity to question our beliefs on this subject, whatever they may be.
In light of recent current affairs, you would be surprised how applicable philosophy can be to the problems we face today. Craig was listed as one of the top 50 most influential philosophers of 2016, along with other thinkers such as Noam Chomsky, Alain Badiou, and Simon Blackburn. Even if you consider yourself to be ambivalent on the topic, and you don’t think the religious philosophy aspect of the debate will be applicable to you, the general discussion may still surprise you.
You may come away enlightened by some of the comments made in the discussion, or you may come away with more questions on the topic, or different questions on the implications of a discussion like this for other aspects of life. Either way, the event promises to be an incredible opportunity to hear two leading minds discuss a difficult topic that is sure to be of interest to all.
“Does God Exist” takes place this evening at 7pm in the Arts Block’s Edmund Burke Theatre.
