Previous Meetings
Some topics in our previous meetings have included:
Is sport more valuable than music in today's society.....? Nick Cox
Charlotte Bronte explained how the eye both sought the truth in mundane experiences and the visionary experience of dreams..... Professor Dinah Birch
Technology has revolutionised our access to news, knowledge and opinions, yet quality political journalism is in the doldrums..... Jim Hancock
Feb
Design: Then, Now and the Future. Reflections on design, as a process, from the 14th century onwards'
David has worked as a theatre designer and artist since 1964 when he started at art school. He was lucky to benefit from a course that focused on both design for the theatre and fine art. This was an especially useful combination for the following 47 years work as a theatre designer, artist and educationist - and then the following five years as an artist. What is design? When did it start? How does it work, or not? What do designers do all day? How has it changed and what may happen in the future, which we are designing now? What did Karl Marx, Edward de Bono, Anton Chekhov, Samuel Johnson, James Thurber and Jean Cocteau write that relate to design? - even if they didn't realise it at the time.
Dec
The Black Prince and the Capture of a King: Poitiers, 1356
Less well-known than Agincourt or Crecy, the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 was one of the most hard-fought and dramatic battles of the Hundred Years War. This talk will tell the story of that remarkable day of battle and the events leading up to it, beginning with the Battle of Crecy ten years earlier.
Nov
Are We (Just) Beasts?
It is often assumed by humanist thinkers that, if we are not supernatural beings, we must be parts of nature. Raymond will argue, against popular misreading of the significance of brain science and evolutionary theory, that persons are not merely organisms to be understood in biological terms, and that there is a huge gap between humans and our nearest primate kin.
Oct
Warrington and the Slave Trade
Warrington and the Slave Trade Warrington’s role in the slave trade is the elephant in the room which has been avoided by most historians. The talk will explore the nature and range of the trade in slaves by citizens of Warrington. The level of involvement of the main players will be discussed, as will the role played by the Warrington Academy. Some thoughts as to an appropriate response will be offered.
Apr
The Hubble Space Telescope
Along with our own Joddrel Bank Radio Telescope, The Hubble Space Telescope has been one of the most successful and informative developments in the exploration of Space. John will look at its concept and design, early problems and how these were overcome, along with remarkable images obtained over more than 25 years of operation.
Mar
A Brief History of Penguin Books
Arguably the most influential and well-known publisher of the 20th Century, Penguin Books have made an impact on all our lives. Mike takes a look at Allen Lane’s ‘Damascus Moment’, the invention of paperback books, and the opening of London Zoo, through mergers and take-overs, and from Lady Chatterley to Lady Luck. The surprising life of Penguin Books, and its emerging nemesis!
Feb
A Romp Through 40,000 Years of Sculpture
Dr Helen Pheby will take us on an illustrated journey through the history of sculpture since prehistoric times, to Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and on to the present day. There will be a focus on the radical changes in sculpture since Auguste Rodin, and looking at the growth and impact of the more abstract sculpture that we see today.
Dec
Traditional and contemporary songs 'They don't write them like that any more'
Performers of traditional and contemporary songs 'They don't write them like that any more' Based on being born and bred in the North West, Garry and Vera will sing and talk us through a number of their songs, looking at life in the raw throughout the region in their own well-researched, incisive, poignant way, laced with a delightful sprinkling of pragmatism and of course , humour. www.garyandveraaspey.com
Nov
A Millennium Of Monasticism
The rise in the number and power of the monasteries during the early part of the 2nd millennium was remarkable, and threatening. Father Michael looks at their influence and in particular at the Premonstratensians, and Mother Kate of Warburton (and Chester) against the wider background of monastic life and development.
Oct
Technological dead ends: ideas that have gone nowhere
So many mind-blowing ideas and inventions have never been widely embraced by Society! Perhaps we might have enjoyed more of the magic of Man’s inventive prowess had at least some of these logic-defying ideas been more fervently pursued. Dr Southall takes a sideways look at the wonders of the improbable.
Apr
Industrialisation, Population Change and Public Health in Lancashire
The fact that Great Britain was the world's pioneering industrial nation from around 1750 to 1850 is firmly established, but historians continue to dispute the pace, the extent and the impact of the Revolution. So, what can research tell us about the ways in which population growth, urbanisation and the public health consequences affected our local forebears?
Mar
Slow Boat Cargo
Liz McIvor, the well-known historian of Britain's canal development, will examine the ways cargoes were moved by land and water before the canal boom and the 18th Century 'Amazon effect.' She will explain the large-scale engineering projects in the industrial period for long distance haulage by waterways, and comment on the post-industrial use of this heritage..
Feb
The Golden Age of Murder
The speaker is a locally-based lawyer who has earned distinction in every field of crime fiction. He is currently Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association and President of the Detection Club. He will discuss the crime fiction of the golden age between the wars, not cosy escapist cliché as some claim, but a substantial body of literature, a transmutation of real criminal cases, of the stresses in the authors’ lives and an urge to come to terms with the senseless carnage of the trenches.
Dec
Excavating Engels
The speaker will use recently uncovered archaeological evidence about Manchester’s historical slums to see if it can throw useful light on what Victorian social commentators said about problems of over-crowding, immigration, poor construction, poor ventilation, disease and sanitation.
Nov
Bog Bodies
The speaker will examine how these compelling Iron Age and early Roman relics enable us to encounter - face-to-face - people from our ancient past. They and those who brought about their deaths evidently had beliefs and understandings about the world very different from ours, and the speaker will discuss new evidence and different ideas relating to one of the most local examples: Worsley Man.
Oct
Experiments in Philosophy
This will be a brief introduction to the subject of Experimental Philosophy, a very recent and exciting development in the subject of philosophy. The talk will cover some aspects of the thinking behind the subject and the methods employed. Concentrating on ethics, morality and moral responsibility the meeting will include some audience participation. No expertise required - it's all intuitive!
Apr
What a Poet Sees
Interviewed by the Reverend Canon Michael Burgess, this distinguished prize-winning poet will discuss the art of poetry and his own writing, and will read from his work. After graduating in philosophy and theology and training as a journalist he has worked as a radio producer, a documentary film maker and as Head of Development for BBC Religion and Ethics. He left the BBC to teach at MMU, and to focus on writing, including lyrics and libretti for the composer James MacMillan. He could be seen as a modern John Donne, producing poems which are sharply observed and concise, but rich in metaphysical meaning.]
Mar
Ruskin and the Daguerreotype
The Ruskin Library at Lancaster University, of which Professor Wildman is Director, holds 125 daguerreotypes – the first permanent photographic process – out of the 300 which formed John Ruskin’s collection by 1858. Ruskin’s interest in this new medium will be explained, illustrated in the range of subject matter which the images cover, chiefly architecture and landscape in France, Switzerland and Italy.