On Wednesday 23rd November, 20 St Mary's Sixth Form Philosophy and Ethics students went to an AIM conference in central London, with key speakers Professors Richard Dawkins and Richard Swinburne. It was a very popular conference, with hundreds of Sixth Formers in attendance. Below is some feedback from some of the
"The morning began with Doctor Carleton Paget who explored the provenance of St Mark’s Gospel; although insightful this was not specifically relevant to the UVI who are studying the unreformed A Level. The next speaker was the highly anticipated Richard Dawkins who didn’t disappoint with a lively and informative lecture that took us to to a welcome break for lunch at Pizza Express. Having been persuaded that God didn’t exist by Dawkins and following a delicious pizza, Professor Swinburne presented the opposing argument. His complex theories of logic left some of us struggling to keep up, however he ended with strong arguments supporting the case for the existence of God and some stimulating questions left us with much food for thought on the coach journey home. Thank you so much to our own holy trinity - Mr Thomas, Father Jonathan and Dr Angelov for organising the trip." Phoebe (UVI)
"First we heard Dr Carleton Paget who spoke helpfully about Mark’s Gospel and gave us further background on our Christian Theology course. Next we heard from Professor Richard Dawkins who spoke eloquently and persuasively. He demonstrated his expertise in biological evolution and presented his material in a manner that was easy to understand and follow with helpful visual aids. Professor Richard Swinburne was the final speaker: he spoke with a clear and measured voice, yet his content was pitched at a higher intellectual plane than most of us were able to cope with! The trip was enjoyable and the pizza was delicious!" Livvie and Lucia (LVI)