What is Truth?

Sixth Form Religious Education Workshop
With Dr Peter Vardy

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.“What is Truth” is a face-to-face bespoke event designed to support general Religious Education in the Sixth Form.

Combining pacy, engaging lectures with activities, discussions and debates, “What is Truth?” will explore the most important question for our time and the implications of different answers to it for different academic disciplines… and for life!

Sessions include:

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What is Truth?

This introductory session, which uses plenty of engaging film-clips and images, charts how ideas of truth have changed and developed through history from the Bible to the scientific enlightenment, to the development of fundamentalist ideologies and world war to the rise of postmodernism, post-truth and culture wars. Dr Vardy will also introduce students to some basic tools to support critical thinking, showing them how to evaluate evidence of different types and how to spot a fallacious argument, concluding with a practical activity.

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Truth and Ethics: Are right and wrong just a matter of opinion?

The next session considers the implications of challenges to the idea of truth for ethics. The scientific enlightenment and resultant process of secularisation made it difficult to rely on revealed moral laws outside of a faith-community, so without God are there any moral absolutes, or is right and wrong relative to one’s culture or even one’s personal preferences? This session will end with a discussion.

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A Just War? [NEW SESSION]

The next session applies what students have learned about ethics to the issue of war. In the past Islam and Christianity influenced the development of Just War Theory which is now the basis for international law, but the development of new weaponry and tactics threaten to undermine this today. Can nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) such as drones and fighting robots be part of a just war? What is the future of warfare? This session will conclude with a Q&A session.

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Artificial Intelligence [NEW SESSION]

The final session will explore the significance and implications of AI, both practically and philosophically. In what direction is AI research going? Will generative AI have more positive or negative effects in the end? Does AI present an existential risk to human societies, or have the risks been overstated? To what extent might AI be considered conscious or have rights? This session provides an essential introduction to the wider issues associated with a technology most young people are beginning to take for granted. This session will conclude with a lively debate.

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Arranging a Bespoke Event with Candle Conferences couldn’t be simpler – just send us an e-mail on info@candleconferences.com and our administrator will get back to you to discuss possible dates and then answer any questions you may have.

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