There is a feast of theology coming up over the next little while for those of us in Dublin. Tonight, esteemed English philosopher and prominent wino, Roger Scruton is here in Maynooth to give the Aquinas Lecture on the topic of “Neurononsense and the Soul”. It seems like reductionists will have a headfull of neurons to process at the end of the evening.
This Friday, my favourite angry man, Terry Eagleton, will be speaking in Trinity College in Dublin on the topic of “WHAT IS EVIL?” He will no doubt be provocative, interesting and immensely enjoyable.
Historian and theologian Larry Hurtado is giving the keynote address at the Irish Biblical Association conference in All Hallows College on Friday evening. Be there for 8pm to hear the public lecture on “Who is ‘God’ in the New Testament? : The Particulars of the New Testament Deity in a World of Gods”.
Saving the best till last, all round legend, Scot McKnight, will be in Dublin for a week in June and is doing a 2 day seminar in the Irish Bible Institute in Dublin on the topic, ‘In the Beginning was the Gospel’. Friday and Saturday, 11-12 June, cost is €100, attendance is essential. On the Thursday evening, in case you have a real job that expects you to actually show up somewhere on a work day or are a scabby bastard and don’t want to spend money supporting the most impressive theological training institute on the island (you tight git you), there will be a public lecture entitled “The Community Called Atonement”, which is the topic of McKnight’s most significant book- and that is saying something.
Your Correspondent, Happy to receive constructive compliments
Zoomtard: 
Roger Scruton is a free ranging philosopher with a literary flair who pursues many topics from art to ethics to current affairs issues. I’ve read some of his writings and regret that I am out of the country and won’t be able to attend his Maynooth lecture.
The “Neurononsense and the Soul” talk sounds interesting. Would definitely go to it if I was still in that part of the country.
does “neurononsense and the soul” mean that if i spend this coming year chopping up brains then i won’t actually find the meaning of life? damn it, that’s another year wasted…
I’ll go and take notes for you now Andy.
Might I also suggest the Faraday Institutes Short Course in DCU 25 -27th June.
Talks are as following:
* Dr Denis Alexander : Creation or Evolution: Do We Have to Choose?
* Revd Dr Rodney Holder FIMA FRAS: Is the Universe Designed?
* Prof. David Livingstone OBE FBA: Darwin’s Forgotten Defenders
* Prof. Ernan McMullin : Galileo and the Church
* Dr Donal O’Mathuna : Medical Ethics and What it Means to be Human
* Prof. Bob White FRS: Are Natural Disasters Acts of God?
* Prof. Stephen Williams : Science, Faith and Reason
Only 60 of Her Majesties Pounds for the 3 days inc. lunches and dinners.
http://graphite.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/faraday/Short_course.php?Type=New&CourseID=32
My man Terry will have the delight of my own company this Friday. He could very well become the Richard Dawkins of the self-regarding progressivist, without the whole Pope-arresting business of course.