Welcome to the Institute of Ideas December newsletter.
You can browse the archive of IoI newsletters here.
Contents:
SEASON'S GREETINGS
JOIN THE INSTITUTE OF IDEAS
DEBATING MATTERS
IoI FORUMS
MEDIA
PUBLIC APPEARANCES
SEASON'S GREETINGS
The Institute of Ideas would like to wish you a fun and relaxing holiday season. For Christmas presents, we recommend ‘Debating Humanism’, a collection of essays by speakers at the Battle of Ideas 2005, edited by Dolan Cummings, and ‘What is Science Education For?’, a provocative critique of the new science curriculum by David Perks, published along with responses from leading writers in the field. See the links below for details of both books and to buy online. You can also treat your friends to tickets for the Battle of Ideas 2007, available now with prices held from 2006. Why not also give someone a year’s associate membership of the Institute of Ideas? Details are below.
http://www.instituteofideas.com/humanism2006.html
http://www.instituteofideas.com/scied2006.html
http://www.instituteofideas.com/tickets/battleofideas2007.html
JOIN THE INSTITUTE OF IDEAS
Join Join the IoI as an associate to show your support for our efforts to create a public space where ideas can be contested without restraint. We need your support to continue expanding our work. IoI associates also get substantial discounts on tickets for the Battle of Ideas and other events.
Join the IoI in December at 2006 rates - £50 standard rate/£30 concession rate. 2007 rates will be £60 standard rate membership/£35 concession rate.
To join or for further information email geoffkidder@instituteofideas.com or see: http://www.instituteofideas.com/support/index.html
DEBATING MATTERS 2006/07
The qualifying rounds of the Debating Matters Competition 2006/07 are almost over. Having completed 23 of the 32 heats, and with a whistle-stop tour of Scotland and Wales over the next two weeks, we hope all the qualifying rounds will be completed by the Christmas break. The team are delighted to have over half of the Regional Final dates confirmed at prestigious venues across the country, including the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the universities of Newcastle, Bristol, Leicester and Canterbury Christ Church. We hope to have all of the Regional Final dates and venues confirmed by the end of this term.
The 2006/7 qualifying rounds have seen a real improvement in the quality of debates since last year and we are glad to have seen so many new schools, students, teachers and judges participate in its success. The Debating Matters team would particularly like to congratulate all the teams that have made it through to the regional finals so far, there have been some hard fought debates over the course of the qualifying rounds and some very fine performances by students and judges alike. http://www.debatingmatters.com/
IoI FORUMS
All forums meet in London. There are limited places and attendance is by invitation only. If you have an interest in the field and would like to take part, please email the contact given.
SCIENCE AND HEALTH FORUM
The next meeting is at 7pm on Wednesday 6 December, and the topic is ‘Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): Are we fooling ourselves?’ The discussion will be introduced by Les Rose, a fellow of the Institute of Clinical Research. Les writes and broadcasts frequently on CAM, and is secretary of a group of leading scientists who support evidence-based medicine. For further details or to reserve a place contact the convenor, Brid Hehir: shf@instituteofideas.com
CULTURE WARS FORUM
December’s Culture Wars forum is on Tuesday 12 at 7pm. The topic is ‘The Fate of Libraries’. Tim Coates - former managing director of Waterstone's and author of 'Who's in Charge? Responsibility for the Public Library Service', and now editor of The Good Library Blog - will introduce the discussion. For details, or if you would like to attend, contact Dolan Cummings at culture@instituteofideas.com.
INDEPENDENT PARENTS FORUM
The third meeting of the forum will be on Tuesday 16 January, on ‘Is breast best?’. Details will be announced in the January newsletter. For more information and/or if you are interested in attending please email Jane Sandeman at parents@instituteofideas.com
EDUCATION FORUM
The next meeting of the Education Forum will be on Monday 22 January details will appear in the next newsletter.
Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF)
The signatures to the AFAF 'Statement of Academic Freedom' continute to grow. If you are an academic or post-graduate researcher you can sign up by visiting the AFAF web pages http://www.afaf.org.uk and following the instructions, or you can email your details to AFAFSignUp@aol.com.
For general information about the education forum or AFAF contact Dr Dennis Hayes at d.hayes@canterbury.ac.uk or by telephone on 07862 712 742.
POSTGRADUATE FORUM
The second in the new series of seminars will be January. Details will be announced in the next newsletter. If you are a postgraduate student and would like to join the forum, or would like further information, please contact James Gledhill (LSE) and Maria Grasso (University of Oxford) at postgrad@instituteofideas.com.
UNDERGRADUATE FORUM
The IoI Undergraduate Forum on Monday 18 December will discuss ‘The History Boys’ by Alan Bennett. The Forum is open to IoI associates who are undergraduate students. For further information contact undergrad@instituteofideas.com.
BOOK CLUB
The next IoI Book Club is on Tuesday 16 January. Ion Martea will introduce Without Blood by Alessandro Baricco.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841955744/instituteofid-21
The BookClub is open to IoI associates. For further information email geoffkidder@instituteofideas.com
MEDIA
Claire Fox will be on BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze at 8pm on Wednesday 6 and Wednesday 13 December.
‘Claire Fox News’ will next be on the internet TV channel 18 Doughty Street at 10pm on Monday 11 December, with discussions on academic freedom, abortion, and mental health legislation. Guests will be Dr Dennis Hayes, Dr Ellie Lee and Dr Marcus Roberts from MIND. There will also be a Christmas special looking at religion and politics – date to be announced. For details and to watch previous episodes, see: http://www.18doughtystreet.com
Claire came number 64 in Time Out’s 2006 ‘London Movers and Shakers’ list, and is named as the the capital’s No.3 activist.
Tiffany Jenkins has a commentary on the hiding of sacred objects in museum collections in the academic journal Material Religion. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/berg/mar/2006/00000002/00000003/art00005
PUBLIC APPEARANCES
Shirley Dent will be taking part in a ‘balloon debate’ at the Bookshop Barnies Xmas Bash in London at 7pm on Thursday 7 December. Shirley and six other speakers will argue for what they think is the most important book in the world ever. For details, email Austin Williams: Austin.Williams@theNBS.com.
Claire Fox will be chairing God Rest Ye Merry Scientists, a panel discussion on science and religion at the Dana Centre, South Kensington, London, on Thursday 14 December. http://www.danacentre.org.uk/events/2006/12/14/182
Tiffany Jenkins will be chairing a British Academy conversation evening between ‘Repatriation, Restitution, and Reparations’, with David Lowenthal FBA, University College London, Norman Palmer, University College London and John Torpey, City University of New York Graduate Centre. 6 – 7.30pm, Friday 8 December 2006. http://www.britac.ac.uk/events/2006/rrr/index.html
On Tuesday 30 January, Claire Fox will be speaking for the motion, ‘Too many people go to university’ at a benefit debate in aid of the St. Paul's Girls' School Centenary Campaign. For the motion: Claire Fox, Anatole Kaletsky, Jenna Nicholas. Against the motion: Baroness Onora O'Neill, Mary Ann Sieghart, Ceci Mourkogiannis. The debate will be chaired by Sir Clement Freud. 6.45pm, Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London. http://www.intelligencesquared.com/event_future.php?d=20070130