BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Living Freedom - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Living Freedom X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Living Freedom REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20220327T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20221030T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20230326T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20231029T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20240331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20241027T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20250330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20251026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20260329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20261025T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20220101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251211T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251211T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20251107T145444Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251205T154629Z UID:1447-1765479600-1765486800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Living Freedom Xmas Bash Balloon Debate 2025 DESCRIPTION:We would like to invite you to join us in Westminster for a drink\, some good company and a fun Xmas balloon debate. Please register using the form below. \nWhat is the greatest representation of freedom in culture? \nA panel of valiant freedom lovers will seek to convince you of their choice\, whether a work of art or literature\, a film\, opera\, play or song. \nEach contestant will have just three minutes to present their case\, followed by a round of questions from the audience. Then there is a vote\, and the top three will be given an additional one minute to convince you to back their choice. \nWhich cultural representation of freedom – and its defender – deserves to stay in the balloon? You decide! \nSPEAKERS\nAda Akpala\, writer and commentator\ndefending nudity in art and beyond  \nFreddie Attenborough\, research manager\, Committee for Academic Freedom\ndefending the work of playwright and writer Joe Orton \nSonia Gallego\, reporter\, Al Jazeera English\ndefending Monty Python’s Penis Song (Not the Noel Coward Song) \nReem Ibrahim\, communications officer\, Institute of Economic Affairs\ndefending Hamilton: An American Musical \nJasper Robbins\, writer; alumnus\, Living Freedom; history and politics student\ndefending Top Gear (2002-2015) \nKevin Rooney\, religion\, philosophy and ethics teacher; editor\, irishborderpoll.com\ndefending Alan Bennett’s The History Boys \nJake Weston\, project assistant\, Academy of Ideas\ndefending gambling culture \nHOST\nAlastair Donald\, convenor\, Living Freedom \nThis invitation-only gathering will take place in Westminster. We’ll send out details after registration. \nREGISTER \nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Age confirmationI confirm I am aged 18-30Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/living-freedom-xmas-bash-balloon-debate-2025 LOCATION:central London ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Balloon-Debate-Xmas-Party.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251124T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251124T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20251106T151455Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251124T134658Z UID:1430-1764009000-1764016200@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Battle of the sexes: the new political divide? DESCRIPTION:This event is now fully subscribed. \nToday\, over half a century on from the radical emergence of equality movements in 1960s\, the growth of an ideological and social splintering between the sexes is frequently making headlines. \nA recent report by Onward notes that\, in line with international trends\, the divide between men and women in the UK is growing\, most evident amongst Gen Z. In the 2024 General Election\, young women moved leftwards while young men drifted significantly to the right\, with the former almost twice as likely to vote Green as young men\, who in turn were twice as likely to vote Reform as young women. With Gen Z opting for more radical parties\, political polarisation is deepening – and following gendered lines. \nPerhaps the problem is social media\, with young women tending to use TikTok and Instagram while young men tend towards X and podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience. Socially\, Gen Z men and women are also said to be drifting apart. Women now outperform men in education\, being more likely to attend university and get higher-paying jobs in their twenties. However\, young women are also reportedly more stressed\, more lonely and less satisfied with life\, while fears over the ‘manosphere’ and toxic masculinity go hand-in-hand with a hardening sense of cultural antagonism and alienation between the sexes. \nSome say lower levels of intimacy and sexual activity in Gen Z reflect a loss of emotional connection and long-term commitment. Others point to young men increasingly viewing themselves as ‘left behind’ and more resentful of feminism\, equal rights and woke policies that they perceive as discriminating against them. Are political divisions ruining young people’s love lives\, too? \nIs this divide as alarming or deep-rooted as it seems? Could Gen Z’s polarisation be a passing phase? Or is the growing divide around the sexes now an issue to take seriously – perhaps in ways that class or racial divides might once have been addressed in the past? And when previously ideology or shared social experiences were used to overcome these divisions\, what is the route forwards to find common ground between the sexes today? \nSPEAKERS\nPoppy Coburn\nacting deputy comment editor\, Daily Telegraph \nEmma Gilland\nproject assistant\, Ideas Matter; author\, The Corona Generation \nNicholas Stephenson\nresearcher and data analyst\, Onward \nJake Weston\nproject assistant\, Academy of Ideas \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald\nconvenor\, Living Freedom URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/politics-today-a-battle-of-the-sexes CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/battle-of-the-sexes-living-freedom.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250507T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250507T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20250416T162817Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250422T122541Z UID:1322-1746640800-1746646200@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Crumbling of the ivory towers: what is the purpose of a university? DESCRIPTION:This event is free\, but please register using the form below. \n‘When you’re in a hole\, stop digging.’ Sadly\, this ‘first law of holes’\, often attributed to former politician and once Balliol scholar\, Denis Healey\, seems to have bypassed many universities. Despite warnings in recent years about the perils of over-expansion\, marketisation and anti-intellectualism\, reports point to courses closing\, redundancies rising\, bureaucracy increasing\, students becoming dissatisfied\, staff demoralised and standards falling. Notably\, fewer 18-year-olds now elect to go to university and 40 per cent of universities and other higher-education institutions expect to run a loss in this financial year. What are the underlying problems? And what should universities be? What will it take to get out of the hole? \nSome blame the culture wars and the wider politicisation of education. In the US\, a Trump-driven ‘vibe shift’ has caused a reassessment of social-justice priorities and funding for DEI\, but UK universities seem to be doubling down. For example\, newly proposed guidelines aim to make adherence to diversity guidelines a condition of research funding\, raising questions as to how academics assert independence to determine research priorities. ‘Decolonising’ reading lists or eliminating gendered language – even from graduation ceremonies – are said by some to be prioritised over defending knowledge and excellence\, which are now said to be elitist. Do such shifts help explain\, for example\, the devaluation of the arts and humanities\, which are under siege and facing drastic cuts? \nElsewhere\, paternalism can often dominate student life. Some worry that the very notion of the risk-taking\, intellectually autonomous student is drowning under directives on wellbeing and mental health. The chancellor of Oxford University\, Lord Hague\, said universities must not be ‘comfort blankets of cancellation’. But the University of Sussex may be more representative of the new norm with its recent decision to challenge a fine for failing to uphold free speech and insisting on setting guidelines on lawful speech. \nHowever\, some students do seem keen to fight back against a censorious culture on campus – and in some instances\, even sex and gender debates now go ahead largely free of a ‘heckler’s veto’. Are these signs of hope\, or more false promises? \nHow do students and academics who wish to change campus culture navigate questions about critical inquiry\, intellectual independence and academic freedom? Has managerialism destroyed the university for good\, or can it be reformed – and if so\, how? How can – and should – we best harness the spirit of true intellectual endeavour\, inside and outside of universities? \nSPEAKERS\nFelice Basboll\nstudent\, Trinity College Dublin; project assistant\, Living Freedom \nDr Edward Howell\nLecturer in International Relations\, University of Oxford\, \nJohn Maier\nPhD student\, University of Oxford; UnHerd columnist \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald\nconvenor\, Living Freedom \nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Please answer the question below * \n \n \n \n \n =\n \n \n \n \n \n (This helps to prevent spam. Thanks!)Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/crumbling-of-the-ivory-towers-what-is-the-purpose-of-a-university LOCATION:Gillis Lecture Theatre\, Balliol College\, University of Oxford\, Broad Street\, Oxford\, OX1 3BJ\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ivory-towers-salon.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250307T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250307T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20250221T154402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250221T155505Z UID:1250-1741374000-1741379400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Reclaiming the University from the Culture Wars DESCRIPTION:This in-person event in central London\, in association with Student Academics for Academic Freedom (SAFAF)\, is free but please register using the form below. \nUniversities have always been in the vanguard of the so-called ‘woke’ revolution. After the election of Donald Trump\, there has been an apparent cultural ‘vibe shift’\, with criticism of DEI in the UK increasing – but universities seem to be doubling down. For example\, newly proposed funding guidelines aim to cut research funding from institutions that fail to meet diversity guidelines. Meanwhile\, paternalism dominates student life. Some worry that the very notion of the risk-taking\, intellectually autonomous student is drowning under wellbeing guidelines and a mental-health apparatus seemingly resistant to reform. \nOn the other hand\, some students are beginning to take up the fight against the censorious campus climate. And some things appear to be changing. In some instances\, debates on topics such as sex and gender are no longer drowned out by banging pots and pans from student activists and can now take place with only minor disturbances. The Freedom of Speech in Higher Education Act\, previously put on pause\, will be implemented by the Labour government in revised form and Lord Hague\, the new chancellor of the University of Oxford\, says that universities must not be ‘comfort blankets of cancellation’. Are these signs of hope\, or more false promises? \nHow do students who wish to change campus culture navigate questions about intellectual independence and academic freedom? Has managerialism destroyed the university for good\, or can it be reformed? What are the biggest problems facing the modern university? How can we in the 21st-century best harness the spirit of true intellectual endeavour\, inside and outside the universities? \nSPEAKERS\nLara Brown\npolicy researcher specialising in culture and identity; former president\, Cambridge Union \nJaiden Long\nconvenor\, Student Academics for Academic Freedom \nSam Rubinstein\nwriter and historian \nCHAIR\nFelice Basbøll project assistant\, Living Freedom \nREGISTER \nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Please answer the question below * \n \n \n \n \n =\n \n \n \n \n \n (This helps to prevent spam. Thanks!)Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/reclaiming-the-university-from-the-culture-wars LOCATION:central London CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/reclaiming-the-university.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250116T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250116T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20241219T160950Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250110T110049Z UID:1172-1737054000-1737059400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Tyranny: a twenty-first century threat to freedom? DESCRIPTION:Places are free but please register using the form below. \nThe concept of tyranny has been around since ancient Greece\, but in the twenty-first century\, it is near ubiquitous – deployed to describe all manner of ills from populist strongmen to autocratic despots\, Islamist regimes to the ‘woke tyranny’ ostensibly coercing Western institutions. According to the headlines\, the spectre of tyranny haunts the West in the form of a return for the US president-elect\, Donald Trump. The cry of ‘just like Hitler’ is now a regular means to delegitimise populist revolts. Others identify tyranny in a variety of recent menaces to free societies\, including Covid lockdowns\, Big Tech\, Net Zero or the two-tier rule of overbearing technocracies. \nIn an era where liberal principles are under widespread attack\, is the use of ‘tyranny’ and other extreme concepts justified? We have rulers who break their own rules. Corporations are manipulating new technologies. Surveillance states are intruding into the everyday lives of citizens\, such as police investigating social-media posts. These seem to be the types of actions unconstrained by laws or customs and deployed to benefit powerful elites – which seems to fit with established ideas on tyranny. \nBut others say that the label doesn’t fit. For example\, populists are democratically elected rather than imposed. When ‘tyranny’ is used promiscuously\, they argue\, it loses its meaning. Despite legitimate concerns about freedom\, the language of tyranny fails to help us understand our modern predicaments. As the true horror of the Assad regime in Syria becomes clear\, can’t we distinguish between illiberalism and genuine tyranny? \nWhat should we understand by tyranny\, who are the modern-day tyrants and when is the language of tyranny warranted? Can populists\, autocrats or modern technocracies usefully be described through the idea of tyranny? Is the term useful in addressing modern political problems\, or do we run the risk of watering down the term and missing the real tyrants across the world? Are ancient ideas about tyranny outdated or can they be useful for understanding the present? \nSPEAKERS\nDr Edmund Stewart\nassociate professor in Ancient Greek History; director\, Tyrannica: The Interdisciplinary Network for the Study of Tyrannies\, Personalist Dictatorships and Authoritarian Regimes \nAlastair Donald\nconvenor\, Living Freedom \nCHAIR\nFelice Basbøll\nproject assistant\, Ideas Matter \nREGISTER \nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Please answer the question below * \n \n \n \n \n =\n \n \n \n \n \n (This helps to prevent spam. Thanks!)Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/tyranny-a-twenty-first-century-threat-to-freedom LOCATION:Ideas Matter Club\, 5-8 The Sanctuary\, London\, England\, SW1P 3JS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lff-16January-tyranny.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241205T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241205T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20241115T152823Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241202T132903Z UID:1139-1733425200-1733432400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Living Freedom Xmas Bash Balloon Debate 2024 DESCRIPTION:On behalf of Living Freedom we would like to invite you to join us for a drink\, some good company and a fun Xmas balloon debate. \nThis invitation only gathering will take place at The Sanctuary in the heart of Westminster. Register using the form below. \nWhat: Living Freedom Xmas Balloon Debate\nWhen: Thursday 5 December 2024\, 7:00pm-9pm\nWhere: 5-8 The Sanctuary\, London SW1P 3JS\nEntrance: Free \nWhat is the greatest representation of freedom in culture? \nA panel of valiant freedom lovers will seek to convince you of their choice\, whether a work of art or literature\, a film\, opera\, play or song. \nEach contestant will have just three minutes to present their case\, followed by a round of questions from the audience. Then there is a vote\, and the top three will be given an additional one minute to convince you to back their choice. \nWhich cultural representation of freedom – and its defender – deserves to stay in the balloon? You decide! \nPANELISTS:\n* Pierre d’Alancaisez art critic\, curator\, and founder of Verdurin – defending Kneecap\n* Tom Collyer executive\, Pagefield; writer; alumnus\, Debating Matters – defending Milan Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of Being\n* Ella Dorn journalist\, New Statesman; creator\, Fairyland! Substack; project assistant\, Academy of Ideas – defending MGM studio backlot\n* Thomas Harris director of data and impact\, Free Speech Union – defending South Park\n* Max Mitchell assistant news editor\, UnHerd – defending Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis\n* Lauren Smith staff writer\, spiked – defending A Man For All Seasons\n* Gawain Towler commentator and writer; former director of communications\, Reform UK – defending the pub \nHost: Alastair Donald convenor\, Living Freedom \nRegister:\n\nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Submit \n  URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/living-freedom-xmas-bash-balloon-debate-2024 LOCATION:Ideas Matter Club\, London\, England\, SW1P\, United Kingdom ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/balloon-2024.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241019T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241020T180000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20241007T130639Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241007T132408Z UID:1128-1729332000-1729447200@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Living Freedom at Battle of Ideas festival DESCRIPTION:Living Freedom is taking part in the Battle of Ideas festival\, which takes place at Church House\, Westminster on Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 October. With 100 debates\, hundreds of speakers and thousands of attendees\, it is a brilliant opportunity to take part in discussions on an enormous range of issues. \nLiving Freedom is helping to organise some of the discussions and Living Freedom supporters are taking part in others. These include: \n\nGen Z: how to be a dissenter\n(De)socialised on YouTube?\nEquality law: freedom’s friend or foe?\nIs anti-extremism a threat to liberty?\nDon’t look back in nostalgia – or is modern music rubbish?\nMeet-Up: Young Free Thinkers mixer\n\nTickets\nAnyone in full-time education – or anyone under 30 studying/working in a science\, technology\, engineering or medical (STEM) field – can take advantage of the Student Champion ticket\, which is £30 for the whole weekend. Everyone else can get 20% off standard and concession tickets by clicking on the link below. \nBuy discount tickets \n  URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/living-freedom-at-battle-of-ideas-festival LOCATION:Church House\, 27 Great Smith Street\, London\, SW1P 3AZ\, United Kingdom ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LF-Battle-2024-graphic.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240806T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240806T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240731T095345Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240802T131222Z UID:1108-1722970800-1722978000@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:US Elections 2024: prospects for the free world? DESCRIPTION:Hot on the heels of the shooting of Donald Trump\, we’ve had the rise of JD Vance\, the demise of Joe Biden and even signs of Kamala-mania. From the culture wars to geo-politics\, what is at stake in this election? And what do recent developments mean for the future of freedom and democracy? \nSPEAKERS\nFelice Basbøll project assistant\, Living Freedom\nWill Kingston podcast host\, Fire at Will\, The Spectator Australia\nJacob Reynolds head of policy\, MCC Brussels\nCHAIR\nEmma Gilland\, volunteer coordinator\, Living Freedom \nThis event is free of charge\, but please register using the form below. \nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/us-elections-2024-prospects-for-the-free-world LOCATION:Ideas Matter Club\, 5-8 The Sanctuary\, London\, England\, SW1P 3JS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/london-freedom-forum-us-elections-v2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240711T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240713T180000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240126T124423Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240209T165640Z UID:766-1720720800-1720893600@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Living Freedom Summer School 2024 DESCRIPTION:Our three-day residential school takes place in London on 11 to 13 July and is open to anyone aged 18 to 30\, regardless of whether you are based in the UK or beyond. \nAnyone interested in getting to grips with issues of freedom and free speech is welcome to apply and we aim to bring together attendees with a wide range of interests and diverse views. \nAttendees will hear talks from experts on the history and philosophy of freedom\, including revisiting ideals and classic texts. You will have the chance to explore complex moral and ethical issues\, debate contemporary hot topics and discuss the limits to freedom. There will be plenty of time to meet\, network and socialise with speakers and your peers\, as well as attending the annual Living Freedom dinner. \nVisit our Living Freedom Summer School 2024 page to find out more. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/living-freedom-summer-school-2024 LOCATION:London\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Summer School ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/LFSS24-graphic-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240417T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240417T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240319T114643Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T114657Z UID:953-1713380400-1713385800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:The dilemmas of civility DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED.   \nWe live in times where many believe that Western liberal democracies are undergoing a ‘crisis of civility’. From culture wars strife to social-media animosity\, student enmity to boorish politicians\, many take the view that civic norms are eroding\, to be replaced by a rancorous culture that undermines the possibility of a productive public life. \nYet beyond obvious concerns over standards of behaviour and lack of basic regard to fellow participants in public life\, few people stop to ask what we mean by ‘civility’. In fact\, ‘civility’ is an idea with a long history and has formed a necessary buttress for a free\, democratic age and promotes greater social and political freedom. Today\, however\, calls for greater civility in the face of offence culture\, blasphemers and ill-mannered conduct are used to justify new behavioural norms and speech codes that curtail precious freedoms and free speech. In responding to the demand for civility\, are we in danger of undermining rather than supporting toleration and other long-standing freedoms? \nIn this special Living Freedom forum hosted in partnership with Young Voices\, the writer Alexandra Hudson\, author of the recently published The Soul of Civility\, will outline why the historic notion of civility is central to freedom\, democracy and human flourishing. She will assess how\, in an age of polarisation and intolerance\, understanding and pursuing this age-old idea can help us navigate an age of profound cultural and political differences. \nSPEAKER\nAlexandra Hudson; author\, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves; founder\, Civic Renaissance \nRESPONDENTS\nNoah Khogali; Scottish Conservative Councillor; communications professional and political commentator; former political aide\, Scottish Parliament.\nSamuel Rubinstein; postgraduate student in history; writer on historical themes for The Critic\, UnHerd\, The Spectator\, Engelsberg Ideas and The New Statesman. \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald; convenor\, Living Freedom \nRegister for London Freedom Forum: The Dilemmas of Civility (reserve list) Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/the-dilemmas-of-civility LOCATION:Ideas Matter Club\, 5-8 The Sanctuary\, London\, England\, SW1P 3JS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LONDON-LF-Civility-2160.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240325T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240325T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240226T155358Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240323T095034Z UID:882-1711389600-1711395000@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Religious freedom: toleration or discrimination? DESCRIPTION:Violet Laidlaw Room\, School of Social and Political Science\, University of Edinburgh\, Chrystal Macmillan Building\, 15a George Square\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9LD \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students (and academics) keen to explore and debate ideas. A short talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. \nTHIS EVENT IS FREE OF CHARGE BUT PLEASE REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE. \n——————— \nTOPIC\nReligious Freedom: Toleration or Discrimination? \nQuestions related to expression of religious beliefs are throwing up many tricky questions related to freedom and equality. In the UK\, Christian street preachers have been arrested\, a Muslim pupil is taking a school to court over a prayer ban and there are worries that protection zones around abortion clinics turn silent prayer into a thought crime. In Finland\, a prominent MP who publicly quoted biblical scripture is being prosecuted for hate speech and there are concerns that Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act will also threaten freedom of conscience and religious expression. \nHowever\, many worry that it is religious practice that impinges on our freedoms and rights. Religious conservatives in America have made it easier for hospitals and medics to object to providing birth control and abortions on the grounds of conscience. A Supreme Court ruling in Alabama that embryos used for IVF are legally children may create restrictions on fertility treatment. After outrage over Qur’an burnings in European countries such as Denmark\, bans on desecration of religious texts create worries about the return of blasphemy laws. \nIn pluralistic societies\, how do we reconcile the right of faith communities to exercise their beliefs with our established wider freedoms? Are street preaching or prayers in school rights we should all enjoy? Should holy books be protected by law? Is firing a midwife who refuses to perform abortions an act of justice or discrimination? Or both? Where practical conflicts arise\, for example\, with anti-discrimination equality laws or medical service provision\, how should we respond? \nUltimately\, have we gone too far in protecting the faithful or too far in neglecting them? \n——————— \nSPEAKER\nDolan Cummings novelist and essayist; author\, Taking Conscience Seriously and The Pictish Princess: ..and other stories from before there was a Scotland; substack\, L’esprit de l’escalier \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald convenor\, Living Freedom \n——————— \nBACKGROUND READING \n\nEnd The Use Of Religion To Discriminate\, ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)\nScotland’s new ‘hate speech’ rules are a modern blasphemy law\, Melanie McDonagh\, The Spectator\, 2 May 2020\nWhy Sweden tolerates Quran burning\, Lars Tragardh\, UnHerd\, 1 September 2023\nThis ban on Muslims praying in school is a dystopian\, sinister vision of Britishness\, Nadeine Asbali\, The Guardian\, 19 January 2024\nIs free speech under threat? Heather Tomlinson\, Premier Christianity\, 31 January 2024\nPoliticians have the right to strong religious views. But not to be shielded from scrutiny\, Kenan Malik\, The Observer\, 26 February 2023\n\n——————— \nORGANISED BY\nLiving Freedom and Edinburgh Academics for Academic Freedom \n \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. \n \nImage: adapted from Michael Coglan\, Creative Commons URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/religious-freedom-toleration-or-discrimination LOCATION:Violet Laidlaw Room\, School of Social and Political Science\, University of Edinburgh CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Religious-freedom-toleration-or-discrimination-25032024-UPDATED.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240320T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240320T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240130T181124Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240313T125817Z UID:788-1710959400-1710964800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Utopia and freedom DESCRIPTION:Bateman Lecture Theatre\, University of Exeter Building One\, Rennes Drive\, Exeter\, EX4 4PU \nTHIS EVENT IS FREE TO ATTEND BUT PLEASE REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE. \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students (and academics) keen to explore and debate ideas. A short talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. \n——————— \nTOPIC\nUtopia and Freedom \nSince the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia at the dawn of modernity\, utopian thinking has helped us imagine how society might be radically\, wholly different. Transformative historical events such as the English Civil War and the Industrial Revolution often inspired imagined worlds to come. \nThe issue of freedom in utopias is far from straight-forward. More’s Utopia imagined religious toleration but also slavery as punishment for law breakers. Later utopians anticipated transformations in work\, leisure or mobility but also rule by master elites and elimination of weak and feeble folk. By the twentieth century\, utopia found itself tarnished by association with totalitarian ideologies. In the time since\, dystopias have come to the fore\, anticipating environmental emergencies\, AI apocalypses or a tyrannical patriarchy. \nOscar Wilde argued that ‘a map of the world that does not include utopia is not worth even glancing at’. ‘Progress’\, he declared\, ‘is the realisation of utopias’. Today\, some disparage the technocratic and technological utopianism of the likes of ‘progressives’ or ‘transhumanists’. Others argue that utopian dreaming is required as a stimulus to any worthwhile practical reforms. In our times of political malaise and disenchantment with the future\, could a revival of utopian imagination help us out the doldrums? To what extent are utopias – or dystopias – a useful means to think about and shape the future? \n——————— \nSPEAKER\nAlastair Donald; convenor of Living Freedom; co-editor\, The Lure of the City: from slums to suburbs \nAlastair organises the Ideas Matter initiative Living Freedom and is associate director of the Academy of Ideas where he co-convenes the Battle of Ideas Festival. He is author of The Scottish Question\, and co-editor of The Lure of the City: from slums to suburbs (2011) and The Future of Community: reports of a death greatly exaggerated (2008). He co-founded mantownhuman which published Manifesto: towards a new humanism in architecture (2008)\, as featured in Penguin Classics 100 Artists’ Manifestos. \nCHAIR\nFelice Basbøll project assistant\, Ideas Matter \n——————— \nBACKGROUND READING\nUtopias: news from nowhere can help us here and now\, The Guardian\, 30 November 2023\nCoronavirus lockdown: Dystopian and horror virus book sales spike\, from The Handmaid’s Tale to Brave New World\, Rhiannon Williams\, iNews\, 31 March 2020\nFree love or genocide? The trouble with Utopias\, Tobias Jones\, The Guardian\, 24 January 2016 \n——————— \nORGANISED BY\nLiving Freedom\, Exeter Speak Easy and Committee for Academic Freedom. \n \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/utopia-and-freedom LOCATION:Bateman Lecture Theatre\, University of Exeter\, Building One\, Rennes Drive\, Exeter\, EX4 4PU\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Exeter-Utopia-and-Freedom-no-time.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240319T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240319T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240131T143056Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240316T151228Z UID:806-1710871200-1710876600@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from... the radical universalism of CLR James? DESCRIPTION:Room CLM.2.05\, 2nd Floor\, Clement House\, London School of Economics \nTHIS EVENT IS FREE OF CHARGE\, BUT PLEASE REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE. \nAs a Marxist revolutionary and Pan-Africanist\, critic of European colonialism and respecter of Western civilisation\, classicist and lover of popular culture\, CLR James confounds many contemporary expectations. Today\, when praise for ‘Western culture’ is often dismissed as ‘Eurocentrism’ and identity silos trump a sense of our shared humanity\, is a universalist outlook and an emphasis on what we have in common worth defending? Looking back at his life and work\, what can we learn from a man once labelled ’the black Plato’? \nSPEAKERS \nCERI DINGLE\ndirector\, WORLDwrite; co-director Every Cook Can Govern\, the award winning film on CLR James \nCeri Dingle is director of WORLDwrite\, a youth education charity that campaigns for change using film and video through its online Citizen TV channel\, WORLDbytes. WORLDwrite’s free TV and film training facility for young people has assisted over 3\,000 young people to produce over 1\,000 challenging programmes in the past 10 years. \nCeri directed the film Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible and co-directed Every Cook Can Govern on the life and works of CLR James. She is currently working with young volunteers to produce a film on the history of solidarity in the UK and new volunteers are most welcome to join the crew. \nRALPH LEONARD\nwriter; author\, Letter on Liberty:  Unshackling Intimacy\nRalph is a British-Nigerian writer and commentator on international politics\, culture and sex. He is the author of the Letters on Liberty pamphlet Unshackling Intimacy\, writes for UnHerd\, Areo and the Telegraph\, and is a regular guest on the Zer0 Books podcast. He also writes on religion\, human rights and international affairs. As an ardent secularist and leftist\, Ralph believes it is crucial to uphold the legacy of the Enlightenment\, and the project for the universal emancipation of humanity. \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-the-radical-universalism-of-clr-james LOCATION:‘Beaver’s Retreat\, George IV Pub\, London School of Economics\, 28 Portugal Street\, London\, WC2A 2HE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/clr-james-london-march-2024.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240312T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240312T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240125T152057Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240228T150037Z UID:740-1710266400-1710271800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:From hate speech to misinformation: why social media is not the problem DESCRIPTION:Room 5052\, Arts Building\, Trinity College\, University of Dublin \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students (and academics) keen to explore and debate ideas. A short talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. \nThe event is free but please register via Eventbrite. \n——————— \nTOPIC\nFrom Hate Speech to Misinformation: Why Social Media is Not the Problem \nAdvances in digital technology and social media mean each of us can now share more information and opinions more widely than ever before. But many worry that new digital culture fuels hate speech\, online harms\, fake news and identity driven polarisation. Speaking after recent Dublin riots\, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that ‘people have been radicalized through social media over the Internet’. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has vowed to ‘modernize laws against hatred’ claiming legislation is ‘not up to date for the social media age’. \nSome question the extent to which new digital technologies are really the problem. After all\, just over a decade ago\, social media was celebrated for the power to share ideas and drive positive political change\, for example the Arab Spring or the re-election of President Obama. A recent report found that majorities in most countries surveyed believe that social media is good for democracy. But on the downside\, the same report revealed European democracies and America are now least likely to evaluate social media positively. \nTo what extent are the technologies celebrated for transforming our communications also responsible for our descent into echo chambers\, toxic filter bubbles and demonising those with whom we disagree? Does social media threaten productive exchanges of ideas and our potential to develop a shared worldview and even a shared reality? Irish Green Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly admits that hate speech legislators ‘are restricting freedom’ but asserts they are ‘doing it for the common good.’ Is she right to assert that such legislative action is required? Or should we instead look elsewhere for both the root of the problem and the solutions to social strife in an age of digital culture? \n——————— \nSPEAKER: TIMANDRA HARKNESS\njournalist\, writer and broadcaster; author\, Technology is Not the Problem (2024)\nTimandra Harkness is author of Technology is Not the Problem (forthcoming\, Harper Collins) and Big Data: does size matter?  She is a regular on BBC Radio\, writing and presenting BBC Radio 4’s FutureProofing and other series including How To Disagree. Her BBC documentaries include Divided Nation and What Has Sat-Nav Done To Our Brains and she has written for publications including the Telegraph\, Guardian\, The Sunday Times\, Men’s Health and Significance (the journal of the Royal Statistical Society). \nCHAIR: ALASTAIR DONALD\nconvenor\, Living Freedom; author\, The Scottish Question \n——————— \nORGANISED BY \n\nThis event is organised by Living Freedom and Dublin Universities branch of Academics for Academic Freedom (AFAF). \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/from-hate-speech-to-misinformation-why-social-media-is-not-the-problem LOCATION:Trinity College\, University of Dublin\, College Green\, Dublin CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/LF-Trinity-Dublin.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240222T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240222T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240108T171124Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240212T121451Z UID:709-1708626600-1708632000@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from… Frederick Douglass? DESCRIPTION:Room OC1.04\, The Oculus\, University of Warwick \nThe event is free but please register via Eventbrite. \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students keen to explore and debate ideas on the past\, present and future of freedom. \nOur ‘What can we learn from…?’ events explore important thinkers and the emergence of key ideas. A short\, accessible talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. Together we will interrogate thinkers and their ideas and assess their relevance for freedom today.  Everyone is welcome to come along. \nTOPIC\nFrederick Douglass and Emancipation\nFrederick Douglass is the renowned ‘prophet of freedom’: the most important African American of the 19th century\, who escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist\, the greatest orator of his day and a leading writer of the era. \nBut Douglass was a complex figure who confounds many contemporary expectations. A fierce defender of freedom dedicated to the cause of Black civil and political rights\, Douglass was also a radical patriot\, committed to the Republican Party\, and often politically at odds with younger African Americans. \nWhere today’s decolonisation movement derides ‘Western culture’ and ‘Eurocentrism’ and instead values ‘indigenous knowledge and ways of learning’\, Douglass honed his literary and oratorial skills through studying Cicero\, Milton\, Socrates\, Cato and others. Is he right to emphasise a universalist outlook that celebrates our shared common humanity? What can Douglass tell us about the challenges to freedom today? \nSPEAKER\nDR ALKA SEHGAL CUTHBERT\, director\, Don’t Divide Us\nAlka Sehgal Cuthbert is an educator\, academic\, author and campaigner. She is director of Don’t Divide Us (DDU)\, the UK’s ‘common-sense voice on race’. DDU make the case for colourblind anti-racism based on freedom and tolerance and believe that everyone should be treated as an individual worthy of respect regardless of race\, religion or the colour of their skin.  Alka is author of the Letter on Liberty series pamphlet The Dangers of the new anti-racism. She has written widely on education issues\, including What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines\, Subjects and the Pursuit of Truth published in 2017. \nORGANISERS\n\n \nMAP\nClick on image below for interactive map. \n \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-frederick-douglass-warwick-2024 LOCATION:Room OC1.04\, The Oculus\, University of Warwick\, University Road\, Warwick\, CV4 7AL\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/frederick-douglass-warwick.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240220T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240220T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240129T121932Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240213T165809Z UID:777-1708452000-1708457400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from...? JS Mill: freedom and the harm principle DESCRIPTION:Room NK14\, King’s College\, University of Aberdeen \nTHIS EVENT IS FREE OF CHARGE BUT PLEASE REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE. \nIn his famous On Liberty\, John Stuart Mill argued: ‘The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community\, against his will\, is to prevent harm to others. His own good\, either physical or moral\, is not a sufficient warrant.’ \nThis ‘harm principle’ became the quintessential defence of personal autonomy\, acting as a defence against interference in our private choices. But in recent years\, a growing sense that all individuals are vulnerable and ‘at risk’ has led to increased worries over a vast array of actions from hate speech to vaping that are now said to threaten individual safety\, wellbeing and mental health. One consequence is that an expanded notion of harm is used to argue against freedom and is used to limit our personal choices. \nWhat is Mill’s harm principle and how should we reassess it in an age where harms abound? How do we live together in a society\, when one person’s freedom is another person’s nightmare? From smoking bans to anti-social-behaviour orders\, have we given up on the principle of tolerance? If we want to enjoy freedom\, do we need to demand the right to offend the sensibilities of those who want to deny us that freedom? \nSPEAKER\nRob Lyons is science and technology director at the Academy of Ideas. He writes on a wide range of issues\, but takes a particular interest in issues around the economy\, environment\, food\, energy and risk. He is the author of Letter on Liberty Beyond the Harm Principle and Panic on a Plate: how society developed an eating disorder. Rob is convenor of the AoI Economy Forum. \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald is convenor of Living Freedom and author of Letter on Liberty: The Scottish Question \nORGANISED BY\n \nThis event is organised by Living Freedom and Aberdeen University Freedom of Speech Society. \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-js-mill-freedom-and-the-harm-principle LOCATION:University of Aberdeen\, Room NK14\, King's College\, Aberdeen\, AB24 3FX\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Aberdeen-What-can-we-learn-from-JS-MILL.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240216T160000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240216T173000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240105T153352Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240212T121553Z UID:695-1708099200-1708104600@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from… Frederick Douglass? DESCRIPTION:Pitcairn Building\, South College\, University of Durham \nThe event is free but please register via Eventbrite. \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students keen to explore and debate ideas on the past\, present and future of freedom. \nOur ‘What can we learn from…?’ events explore important thinkers and the emergence of key ideas. A short\, accessible talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. Together we will interrogate thinkers and their ideas and assess their relevance for freedom today.  Everyone is welcome to come along. \nTOPIC\nFrederick Douglass and Emancipation\nFrederick Douglass is the renowned ‘prophet of freedom’: the most important African American of the 19th century\, who escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist\, the greatest orator of his day and a leading writer of the era. \nBut Douglass was a complex figure who confounds many contemporary expectations. A fierce defender of freedom dedicated to the cause of Black civil and political rights\, Douglass was also a radical patriot\, committed to the Republican Party\, and often politically at odds with younger African Americans. \nWhere today’s decolonisation movement derides ‘Western culture’ and ‘Eurocentrism’ and instead values ‘indigenous knowledge and ways of learning’\, Douglass honed his literary and oratorial skills through by studying Cicero\, Milton\, Socrates\, Cato and others. Is he right to emphasise a universalist outlook that celebrates our shared common humanity? What can Douglass tell us about the challenges to freedom today? \nSPEAKER\nDR ALKA SEHGAL CUTHBERT\, director\, Don’t Divide Us\nAlka Sehgal Cuthbert is an educator\, academic\, author and campaigner. She is director of Don’t Divide Us (DDU)\, the UK’s ‘common-sense voice on race’. DDU make the case for colourblind anti-racism based on freedom and tolerance and believe that everyone should be treated as an individual worthy of respect regardless of race\, religion or the colour of their skin.  Alka is author of the Letter on Liberty series pamphlet The Dangers of the new anti-racism. She has written widely on education issues\, including What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines\, Subjects and the Pursuit of Truth published in 2017. \nORGANISERS\n\n \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-frederick-douglass LOCATION:Pitcairn Building\, South College\, Mount Oswald\, The Approach\, Durham\, DH1 3LD\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/frederick-douglass.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240215T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240215T190000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240131T141540Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240209T164417Z UID:735-1708020000-1708023600@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:From culture wars to misinformation: why social media is not the problem DESCRIPTION:Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium\, Selwyn College\, University of Cambridge \nThe event is free but please register via Eventbrite. \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students keen to explore and debate ideas on the past\, present and future of freedom. A short\, accessible talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion.  Everyone is welcome to come along. \nTOPIC\nFrom Culture Wars to Misinformation: Why Social Media is Not The Problem \nWith digital culture and myriad forms of social media\, each of us can now share more information and opinions more widely than ever before. Unlike the era of mass media\, today every individual has a personalised news channel\, edited by their own choices\, social network and algorithms that shape what they want to see next. \nBut many worry that while our facility to communicate has improved\, productive exchanges of ideas have diminished\, as has the potential to develop a shared worldview or even shared reality. What’s more\, new identity-driven forms of polarisation\, online harms and fake news have fuelled fears that the very technologies that transformed communications are in fact responsible for our descent into echo chambers\, toxic filter-bubbles or attention traps. \nBut to what extent is new technology really the problem? After all\, just over a decade ago\, social media was celebrated for the power to share ideas and drive political change in the Arab Spring. \nIn this talk followed by open discussion\, Timandra Harkness explores both the new digital technologies and the new identity-driven forms of culture and politics\, and asks: how did we get here\, why does it matter and where do we go from here? She concludes that instead of pointing the finger at the smartphone and new technologies\, we instead need to understand our own our shrinking sense of who we are and obsession with how others see us. \n—————— \nSPEAKER: TIMANDRA HARKNESS\nJournalist\, writer and broadcaster; author\, Technology is Not the Problem (2024) \nTimandra Harkness is author of Technology is Not the Problem (forthcoming\, Harper Collins). She is also author of Big Data: does size matter? \nTimandra is a regular on BBC Radio\, writing and presenting BBC Radio 4’s FutureProofing and other series including How To Disagree\, Steelmanning and Political School. BBC documentaries include Data\, Data Everywhere\, Divided Nation\, What Has Sat-Nav Done To Our Brains\, and Five Knots. She was also resident reporter on all eight seasons of social psychology series The Human Zoo. Timandra is a graduate fellow of the Royal Statistical Society\, and a founder member of their Data Ethics and Governance Section. She has written for publications including the Telegraph\, Guardian\, The Sunday Times\, Men’s Health and Significance (the journal of the Royal Statistical Society). \nCHAIR: ROGER MOSEY\nMaster of Selwyn College and a Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/from-culture-wars-to-misinformation-why-social-media-is-not-the-problem LOCATION:Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium\, Selwyn College\, University of Cambridge\, Grange Road\, Cambridge\, CB3 9DQ\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/culture_wars_lf_cambridge_feb24.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240207T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240207T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240123T171645Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240131T084013Z UID:731-1707330600-1707334200@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:More or Less? Utopia Today DESCRIPTION:THIS SALON IS THE OPENING SESSION AT CRITICAL SUBJECTS: SPRING ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN SCHOOL 2024. IT IS OPEN TO ATTENDEES ONLY \nSince the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia marked the dawn of modernity\, utopian thinking has been a means to imagine how society might\, in the future\, be radically\, wholly different. Successive revolutionary moments in history were accompanied by reimagined worlds to come. By the turn of the twentieth century\, Oscar Wilde could confidently assert that ‘a map of the world that does not include utopia is not worth even glancing at’. ‘Progress’\, he declared\, ‘is the realisation of utopias’. \nYet in recent decades utopia has found itself on trial\, tarnished by association with totalitarian ideologies and a casualty of the ‘end of history’ and with it the demise of the possibility of imagining a different future. But while many condemn as dangerous the aspiration for transforming the world\, others regret the demise of genuinely transformative ideals. In our times of paralysing malaise and disenchantment with the future whether through the environmental emergency or artificial intelligence apocalypse\, should we seek a revival of utopian thinking? \nSPEAKER\nAlastair Donald is convenor of Living Freedom organised by Ideas Matter and associate director of the Academy of Ideas where he is co-convenor for the Battle of Ideas Festival. Alastair has worked in the UK and internationally to develop festivals\, exhibitions and curated programmes. He is author of The Scottish Question\, published as part of the series Letters on Liberty and co-editor of two books\, The Lure of the City: from slums to suburbs (2011) and The Future of Community: reports of a death greatly exaggerated (2008). He was a founding member of mantownhuman which published Manifesto: towards a new humanism in architecture (2008)\, as featured in Penguin Classics 100 Artists’ Manifestos. \nCHAIR\nAustin Williams\ndirector\, Future Cities Project; honorary research fellow\, XJTLU\, Suzhou\, China; author\, China’s Urban Revolution; convenor\, Critical Subjects Architecture School URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/more-or-less-utopia-today ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/More-or-less-utopia-today.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240206T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240206T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240108T155831Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240212T121625Z UID:704-1707242400-1707247800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from... Hannah Arendt? DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT IS FREE OF CHARGE BUT PLEASE REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE. \nLiving Freedom ‘University Salons’ are for all students keen to explore and debate ideas on the past\, present and future of freedom. \nOur ‘What can we learn from…?’ events explore important thinkers and the emergence of key ideas. A short\, accessible talk is followed by plenty of time for questions and discussion. Together we will interrogate thinkers and their ideas and assess their relevance for freedom today. Everyone is welcome to come along. \nHannah Arendt and Totalitarianism\nWhether prompted by concerns over draconian lockdowns\, new authoritarian political leaders\, policing of speech or outlawing demonstrations\, there’s been a revival of interest in Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism. And today\, in the wake of seemingly resurgent anti-Semitism in Europe\, her analysis of the connection between anti-Semitism\, totalitarianism\, and Europe’s dark history bear re-reading. What’s more\, whether attacking the contemporary concern for ‘safety’\, her unflinching defence of the Western canon of literature and philosophy\, her complex views on Israel\, or the role of ‘facts’ in politics\, Arendt was never shy of challenging orthodoxies and addressing profound moral questions. Scholars today routinely dismiss her as a closet racist or typical ‘white liberal’. But what did she really say\, and what can Arendt tell us about the challenges to freedom today? \nSPEAKER: \nJACOB REYNOLDS\, head of policy\, MCC Brussels; associate fellow\, Academy of Ideas; convenor\, Hannah Arendt Study Group \nJacob is head of policy for the think tank MCC Brussels\, an organisation founded to shake up the ‘Brussels bubble’ through in-depth exploration of the major challenges facing Europe. He is associate fellow at Academy of Ideas and a volunteer convenor of The Academy\, a weekend residential summer school for free thinkers. Jacob has a BPhil from St Cross College\, Oxford where he specialised in the work of Hannah Arendt\, and is a writer and commentator on issues related to the Culture War\, literature\, and geopolitics. He has an academic background in philosophy. \nSUPPORTED BY\nLiving Freedom University Salons are supported by the Ian Mactaggart Programme\, established to foster a culture of open debate\, independent thinking and free expression among young people in the UK\, especially students. It is administered by the Free Speech Union. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-hannah-arendt-feb-24 LOCATION:Harris Lecture Theatre\, Oriel College\, Oriel Square\, Oxford\, OX1 4EW\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/hannah-arendt-oriel-6feb.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231220T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231220T220000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20231121T123104Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231211T170750Z UID:649-1703098800-1703109600@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Living Freedom Xmas Bash Balloon Debate 2023 DESCRIPTION:On behalf of Living Freedom we would like to invite you to join us for a drink\, some good company and a fun Xmas balloon debate. \nThis invitation only gathering will take place at The Sekforde\, the historic Clerkenwell pub now thriving on the back of an award winning restoration. Join us for drinks at the pay bar from 7pm. \nWhat: Living Freedom Xmas Balloon Debate\nWhen: Wednesday 20 December 2023\, 7:00pm\nWhere: The Sekforde\, 34 Sekforde St\, Farringdon\, London EC1R 0HA\nEntrance: Free\nBooking: Limited space so reserve a place via Ticket Tailor. \nWhat is the greatest representation of freedom in culture? \nA panel of six valiant freedom lovers will seek to convince you of their choice\, whether a work of art or literature\, a film\, opera\, play or song. \nEach contestant will have just three minutes to present their case\, followed by a round of questions from the audience. Then there is a vote\, and the top three will be given an additional one minute to convince you to back their choice. \nWhich cultural representation of freedom – and its defender – deserves to stay in the balloon? You decide! \nPANEL:\n* Andrew Calcutt former bassist and journalist\, now self-styled as ‘the news poet’ – defending the premiere of 4′ 33” by John Cage\, Maverick Hall\, New York\, 29 August 1952\n* David Cotter musician and composer; teacher and lecturer – defending the guitar\n* Maeve Halligan musician\, The Hooligans; student – defending The Fields of Athenry\n* Robert Reid\, researcher and parliamentary assistant\, the Alba Party – defending The Declaration of Arbroath\n* Cressida Wetton comedian; panellist\, Headliners\, GB News – defending Lenny Bruce‘s free speech routines\n* Leo Villa archive manager\, Academy of Ideas; music teacher – defending Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest \nHost: Alastair Donald convenor\, Living Freedom URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/living-freedom-xmas-bash-balloon-debate-2023 LOCATION:The Sekforde\, 34 Sekforde Street\, London\, EC1R 0HA\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Xmas-23-Ballooon-graphic-copy-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231122T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231122T193000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20231107T162143Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231108T141652Z UID:616-1700676000-1700681400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from... Hannah Arendt? DESCRIPTION:The event is free but please register via Ticket Tailor. \nHannah Arendt and Totalitarianism\nWhether prompted by concerns over draconian lockdowns\, new authoritarian political leaders\, policing of speech or outlawing demonstrations\, there’s been a revival of interest in Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism. And today\, in the wake of seemingly resurgent anti-Semitism in Europe\, her analysis of the connection between anti-Semitism\, totalitarianism\, and Europe’s dark history bear re-reading. What’s more\, whether attacking the contemporary concern for ‘safety’\, her unflinching defence of the Western canon of literature and philosophy\, her complex views on Israel\, or the role of ‘facts’ in politics\, Arendt was never shy of challenging orthodoxies and addressing profound moral questions. Scholars today routinely dismiss her as a closet racist or typical ‘white liberal’. But what did she really say\, and what can Arendt tell us about the challenges to freedom today? \nSPEAKER: \nJACOB REYNOLDS\, head of policy\, MCC Brussels; associate fellow\, Academy of Ideas; convenor\, Hannah Arendt Study Group \n \nJacob is head of policy for the think tank MCC Brussels\, an organisation founded to shake up the ‘Brussels bubble’ through in-depth exploration of the major challenges facing Europe. He is associate fellow at Academy of Ideas and a volunteer convenor of The Academy\, a weekend residential summer school for free thinkers. Jacob has a BPhil from St Cross College\, Oxford where he specialised in the work of Hannah Arendt\, and is a writer and commentator on issues related to the Culture War\, literature\, and geopolitics. He has an academic background in philosophy. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-hannah-arendt LOCATION:Vinson Auditorium\, Vinson Centre\, 21 Hunter Street\, Buckingham\, MK18 1EG\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/hannah-arendt-banner.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231029T124500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231029T133000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20231026T105250Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T114232Z UID:602-1698583500-1698586200@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Revitalising free speech on campus: Living Freedom and Speak Easy DESCRIPTION:A special session at the Battle of Ideas festival in London. Students can come to the whole festival weekend (Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October) for £27.50. Buy tickets here. \nLIVING FREEDOM will be represented at the Battle of Ideas festival at this session on what can be done to revitalise free speech on campus. \nAlong with the the student initiative Speakeasy\, we’ll be discussing the state of universities and highlighting initiatives that are taking the lead in remaking the case for critical inquiry\, free expression and open debate in universities. Come along to hear more about the Summer School 2024\, our University Salons\, and Freedom Forums. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/revitalising-free-speech-on-campus-living-freedom-and-speak-easy LOCATION:Church House\, 27 Great Smith Street\, London\, SW1P 3AZ\, United Kingdom ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/lf-graphic.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20231016T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20231016T200000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20240116T120648Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240116T120736Z UID:726-1697481000-1697486400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from... Martin Luther? DESCRIPTION:FREEDOM THEN AND NOW: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM…?\nMARTIN LUTHER: FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE \nLiving in accordance with our deeply held moral beliefs throws up tricky dilemmas. Should health professionals be forced to assist with abortion provision or with assisted-suicide services that go against their religious principles? Should lawyers concerned about climate change be able to opt out of prosecuting eco-activists? Whether baulking at military service\, declining to bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples or refusing to follow lockdown rules\, how should we respond to the claim to exercise freedom of conscience based on moral principles? \nThe idea of conscience first emerged when ancient Greek playwrights had their characters wrestle with their inner voices. Famously\, Martin Luther\, the German reformer who challenged the Catholic church\, asserted the right to believe freely and to be slave to the authority of no one: ‘I cannot and will not recant anything\, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe’\, he said. But what is conscience exactly and why is it important? What constitutes the legitimate exercise of conscience? At a time when value judgements that are not thought scientifically verifiable tend to be dismissed as whims or tribal affiliations\, how should we make the case for meaningful open debate that involves the morally centred individual as well as experts?  \nSPEAKER\nDolan Cummings\, author\, Taking Conscience Seriously\nDolan Cummings is the author of the Letters on Liberty pamphlet\, Taking Conscience Seriously. He recently published his third novel\, The Pictish Princess.. and other stories from before there was a Scotland. His previous books are Gehenna: a novel of Hell and Earth (2020)\, which follows a Glasgow detective through Dante’s Hell\, and That Existential Leap: a crime story\, which is part bildungsroman and part novel of ideas. Dolan also works as a freelance copywriter\, speechwriter and editor. His own non-fiction writing\, mostly on books\, politics and religion\, can be found at dolancummings.com. \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald\, convenor\, Living Freedom \nREADING\nDolan Cummings\, In praise of our moral inheritance URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-martin-luther LOCATION:Stephenson College\, University of Durham\, Howlands Farm\, South Rd\, Durham\, DH1 3DE\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/luther-lf.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230809T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230809T210000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20230714T153359Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230801T151214Z UID:574-1691607600-1691614800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Free speech on campus: winning young hearts and minds DESCRIPTION:This event is free but please book a place in advance via Eventbrite. \nThe new Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act passed in May puts more responsibility on universities to ensure students are able to speak freely in and out of the classroom. But since then\, the refusal to show the film Birthgap in Cambridge University and attempts to cancel Kathleen Stock at the Oxford Union suggests that much remains to be done to develop a new culture of free and open debate at universities. \nMany students – and even academics – report they self-censor and fear ostracisation for speaking out. Student societies often encounter problems when wanting to discuss ‘controversial’ topics or invite diverse speakers. Given the new duty of free speech\, how can students use this to their advantage? Can students who support academic freedom be encouraged to champion free speech on campus? Given the apparent sensitivity to discomfort among young people\, how can we win students themselves to the cause of critical inquiry\, free expression\, and open debate? \nSPEAKERS\nJack Barwell student; founder\, Speak Easy\, University of Exeter\nFelice Basbøll project assistant\, Ideas Matter\, history student\, Trinity College Dublin.\nStani Huepfl politics and international relations student\, London School of Economics\nOmar Loubak Mohamed student; founder\, Speak Easy\, Royal Holloway\, University of London \nCHAIR\nAlastair Donald convenor\, Living Freedom \nBACKGROUND READING\nNow woke universities are ditching boozy Freshers Weeks because they are not ‘inviting and inclusive’ enough!\,\nDawn Thompson\, MailOnline\, 30 July 2023 \nThe Oxford kids are alright\nKathleen Stock\, UnHerd\, 1 June 2023 \nFreedom of Speech Act: How it will affect university students\nThe Education Hub\, 30 May 2023 URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/free-speech-on-campus-winning-young-hearts-and-minds LOCATION:Ideas Matter Club\, 5-8 The Sanctuary\, London\, England\, SW1P 3JS\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/London-Freedom-Forum-3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230712T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230712T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20230628T134629Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230707T142613Z UID:538-1689188400-1689193800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:The information wars: who verifies the verifiers? DESCRIPTION:The recently launched BBC Verify promises to combat the proliferation of fake news and deep-faked images and videos online. We live in the age of the fact-checkers: groups and individuals who take on the responsibility of determining what is true\, what is false\, and what is fake online. With all of the dis-\, mis- and even mal-information\, there are indeed serious challenges to the ideal of a democratised public sphere. But who determines what’s true and false? \nThe Twitter Files revealed how ideology can influence the ‘objective’ verification process and how unaccountable bodies become gate keepers of truth. With shadow banning\, algorithmic manipulation and suppression of sheer opinion\, is the media accountable? Can verification ever be non-partisan? \nThis salon discussion tackles the growing role of fact-checking in the media\, and the implications for freedom of speech\, truth and journalism. Are initiatives like BBC Verify a welcome extension of the watchdog role of journalism\, or do they do more harm than good? Who fact-checks the fact-checkers? \nSPEAKERS\nPoppy Coburn freelance commentator and journalist\nSam Rubinstein history student and writer\nMax Sanderson editor of weekly podcasts\, Guardian \nCHAIR\nFelice Basbøll project assistant\, Ideas Matter \nREGISTER\nThis event is free\, but places are limited\, so please book via Eventbrite. \nBACKGROUND\nExplaining the ‘how’ – the launch of BBC Verify\nDeborah Turness\, 22 May\, BBC News \n‘Fundamentally dangerous’: reversal of social media guardrails could prove disastrous for 2024 elections\nKari Paul\, 10 Jun\, Guardian \nThe BBC isn’t exposing disinformation. It’s peddling it\nJonathan Cook\, 2 Jun\, Middle East Eye \nThe tyranny of ‘misinformation’\nTim Black\, 26 Oct 2020\, Spiked \nWhat Were the Twitter Files\nBranko Marcetic\, 26 Apr\, The Nation \nGary Lineker: free speech\, political debate and impartiality\nAlastair Donald\, Claire Fox\, Ella Whelan and Rob Lyons\, 13 May\, Podcast of Ideas URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/who-verifies-the-verifiers LOCATION:Ideas Matter Club\, London\, England\, SW1P\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Freedom Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/information-wars-freedom-forum.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230629T180000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230701T170000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20230320T153134Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230325T065917Z UID:122-1688061600-1688230800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Living Freedom Summer School 2023 DESCRIPTION:  \nOur three-day residential school is open to anyone aged 18 to 30 regardless of whether you are based in the UK or beyond. \nAttend to hear talks from experts on the history and philosophy of freedom\, helping us to understand freedom of conscience and free will in the 21st century. With Progress now seen as dangerous\, we’ll debate the implications for freedom\, and explore innovations such as generative technologies and ChatGPT. There will plenty of opportunities to explore complex moral issues such as the case for reparations and the morality of borders\, to revisit classic texts and debate contemporary hot topics from sensitivity readers to the hecklers veto. \nIf you would like to find out more about the Summer School\, and find out how to apply\, you can find all the details on the Summer School page. URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/living-freedom-summer-school-2023 LOCATION:London\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Summer School ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LFSS23-graphic-smaller.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230503T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230503T190000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20230321T135047Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230418T121024Z UID:185-1683140400-1683140400@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:What can we learn from...? Oriel College\, Oxford\, May 2023 DESCRIPTION:WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM…? John Milton/Liberty and John Locke/Toleration \nSpeakers: Andrew Doyle and Dr Tiffany Jenkins \nThe rise of cancel culture has made many nervous about free expression and open debate\, even though academic freedom is a core value – and legal duty of universities. Many students – and even academics – report they self-censor; student societies often encounter problems in terms of inviting diverse speakers. \nHowever\, if universities are to fulfil their purpose as spaces in which to freely explore ideas and develop knowledge\, then nothing should be beyond question or outwith the scope of debate. Today\, while values of tolerance and liberty are rhetorically espoused\, increasingly it is often argued that free expression has its limits. \nOne way to understand better the predicaments around freedom today is to turn to important figures of the past and to explore their thinking and how it might help us now. ‘What can we learn from…?’ events take as a starting point important thinkers and cultural figures from history. After short\, accessible talks\, there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. \nREGISTER \nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Submit \nEVENT\nWednesday 3 May\, 7.00pm-9.00pm \nHistorically liberty and toleration have been staples of liberal society. Join us to explore the historic roots and contemporary realities of these important ideals. \n1: Milton and Liberty\nAndrew Doyle\, broadcaster; author\, The New Puritans\n‘Give me liberty to know\, to utter\, and to argue freely according to conscience’\, declared the poet John Milton in Areopagitica. Often associated with seventeenth-century non-conformist Puritans\, Milton rejected licensing of printed texts and rebuffed the notion that prohibitions\, bans or force could create virtuous men. Today\, amidst the rise of a new puritanism\, being offensive can be deemed a crime\, demands for ‘social justice’ brook no dissent and uttering uncomfortable truths can lead to public shaming. From the ages of the Puritans\, old and new\, what can we learn about the case for freedom of belief and expression? \n2: John Locke and Toleration\nDr Tiffany Jenkins\, writer and broadcaster\nIt was only in the seventeenth century that Western society started to seriously consider the philosophical foundations of toleration of competing religions and beliefs. Today\, values of tolerance and respect are regularly upheld. But some argue that tolerating free expression has its limits and society should not be placed at risk of intolerant ideas or even overly judgemental views. Should we tolerate free expression\, or retain a right to be intolerant of intolerance? \nVENUE \nOriel College\nHarris Lecture Theatre\nOriel Square\, Oxford\, OX1 4EW\nSee Google Maps for location. \nSPEAKERS \nANDREW DOYLE\npresenter\, Free Speech Nation\, GB News; author\, The New Puritans: how the religion of social justice captured the Western world\nAndrew Doyle is a writer\, comedian\, and a presenter on GB News. He is the author of Free Speech and Why It Matters (2021) and The New Puritans: how the religion of social justice captured the Western world (2022). He is the creator of the satirical character Titania McGrath\, who has published two books – Woke: a guide to social justice (2019) and My First Little Book of Intersectional Activism (2020). He began presenting his show Free Speech Nation on GB News in June 2021. Before then he was a columnist for spiked\, a panellist on the BBC’s Moral Maze and regularly reviewed the papers on Sky News. \nDR TIFFANY JENKINS\nwriter and broadcaster; author\, Strangers and Intimates: the rise and fall of private life\nTiffany Jenkins is a writer\, author and broadcaster. Her last book\, Keeping Their Marbles: How Treasures of the Past Ended Up in Museums and Why They Should Stay There\, was published in 2016 to critical acclaim. Her next book\, Strangers and Intimates: the rise and fall of private life\, will be published in 2023 by Picador. Tiffany is an honorary fellow Art History at the University of Edinburgh\, and is host of the podcast Behind the Scenes at the Museum\, in which she talks to key figures about the big ideas rocking the cultural world\, charting the trends and dissecting the controversies. She has written and presented several programmes for BBC Radio 4\, including the series A Narrative History of Secrecy. \nCONVENORS \nALASTAIR DONALD\, convenor\, Living Freedom\nDR MARIE KAWTHAR DAOUDA\, Oriel College\, University of Oxford\nDR ROGER P L TEICHMANN\, St Hilda’s College\nDR ALBERTO GIUBILINI\, Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/what-can-we-learn-from-oriel-college-oxford-may-2023 LOCATION:Harris Lecture Theatre\, Oriel College\, Oriel Square\, Oxford\, OX1 4EW\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Oxford-twitter-3-May-blue-v2-1-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230502T200000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230502T220000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20230418T132131Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230418T135945Z UID:445-1683057600-1683064800@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Locke and Liberty: why toleration still matters today DESCRIPTION:Living Freedom university primer at Radley College. \nThe rise of cancel culture has made many nervous about free expression and open debate\, even though academic freedom is a core value – and legal duty – of universities. Many students – and even academics – report they self-censor; student societies often encounter problems in terms of inviting diverse speakers. \n  \nHowever\, if universities are to fulfil their purpose as spaces in which to freely explore ideas and develop knowledge\, then nothing should be beyond question or beyond the scope of debate. For students who want to take discussion and debate seriously and make the most of university life\, tolerating different views will be essential.  \n  \nBut what does toleration mean? Today\, while values of tolerance and respect are rhetorically espoused\, increasingly it is argued that tolerating free expression has its limits and society should not be placed at risk of intolerant ideas or even overly judgemental views. Should we tolerate free expression\, or retain a right to be intolerant of intolerance? \nIn this special university primer event\, Tiffany Jenkins will look at the emergence of the important ideal of toleration and explore why it remains important today.  After a short\, accessible talk\, there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. \n  \nSPEAKER\nDR TIFFANY JENKINS\, writer and broadcaster; author\, Strangers and Intimates: the rise and fall of private life\nTiffany Jenkins is a writer\, author and broadcaster. Her last book\, Keeping Their Marbles: How Treasures of the Past Ended Up in Museums and Why They Should Stay There\, was published in 2016 to critical acclaim. Her next book\, Strangers and Intimates: the rise and fall of private life\, will be published in 2023 by Picador. Tiffany is an honorary fellow in Art History at the University of Edinburgh\, and is host of the podcast Behind the Scenes at the Museum\, in which she talks to key figures about the big ideas rocking the cultural world\, charting the trends and dissecting the controversies. She has written and presented several programmes for BBC Radio 4\, including the series A Narrative History of Secrecy. \n  \nMODERATOR\nALASTAIR DONALD\, convenor\, Living Freedom \nAlastair Donald is convenor of Living Freedom\, the initiative organised by educational charity Ideas Matter to encourage young adults to explore the meaning and ideals of freedom. He is also associate director at Academy of Ideas and co-convenor of Battle of Ideas festival. \n  \nANY QUESTIONS?\nFor more information\, contact Alastair Donald: info@livingfreedom.org.uk URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/locke-and-liberty-why-toleration-still-matters-today LOCATION:Science Lecture Theatre\, Radley College\, Abingdon\, Oxfordshire\, OX14 2HR CATEGORIES:University Primer ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/locke-radley-may-2023.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230426T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230426T203000 DTSTAMP:20260409T150041 CREATED:20230411T152333Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230421T101546Z UID:424-1682535600-1682541000@livingfreedom.org.uk SUMMARY:Why debating matters in an era of cancel culture DESCRIPTION:This event is free\, but please register using the form below. \nThe rise of cancel culture has made many nervous about free expression and open debate. Even though academic freedom is a core value – and a legal duty – of universities\, many students – and even academics – report they self-censor; student societies often encounter problems in terms of inviting diverse speakers. \nIn one such example of the constraints on debate and free speech on campus\, last year\, Academy of Ideas director\, Claire Fox was invited to speak at Royal Holloway’s Debating Society. Yet an invite to talk about the importance of debate was then turned into a bureaucratic nightmare – with risk assessments\, safeguarding checks and other onerous procedures enforced by the students’ union. Eventually\, the students’ union successfully put the Society under pressure to cancel the event – ostensibly because Claire retweeted a clip of Ricky Gervais satirising the gender wars. \nIn this special Living Freedom University Salon at University of Cambridge\, Claire will give the talk on ‘why debating matters’ that was intended for Royal Holloway students. This is followed by a conversation with Omar Loubak\, a student and former organiser of the debating society at Royal Holloway. \nSPEAKERS\n\nClaire Fox\ndirector\, Academy of Ideas; independent peer\, House of Lords; author\, I STILL Find That Offensive! \nOmar Loubak\nDebating Society\, Royal Holloway University of London \nCHAIR\nJames Orr\nassociate professor of Philosophy of Religion\, University of Cambridge \nVENUE\nNewton Room\, The Pitt Building\, Trumpington Street\, Cambridge\, CB2 1RP\nREGISTER\nPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Submit URL:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/event/why-debating-matters-in-an-era-of-cancel-culture-cambridge LOCATION:Cambridge University – The Pitt Building\, Trumpington St\,\, Cambridge\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:University Salon ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://livingfreedom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CAMBRIDGE-LF-April-26-version1-copy-2-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR