Talking Liberty - Taking Conscience Seriously

Birmingham Salon is part of a network of salons affiliated to the Academy of Ideas.We believe strongly in the principle of free speech – we tackle the thorniest of questions and no topic is off limits.Our debates are structured to encourage audience participation.As we see it, the starting point for changing our world is open debate where ideas are understood, scrutinised and contested.  Our speakers are experts in their field, but they can expect to be challenged by our audience.

Birmingham Salon

Conscience is not necessarily unchanging, is subject to external influence, and is an instinct that can be educated.

Cherry Red's Cafe Bar

We'll be upstairs in the Map Room at Cherry Reds for the third of this year's Talking Liberty discussions, where we'll consider the Letter on Liberty, <a href="https://academyofideas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/taking-conscience-seriously-pdf.pdf" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Taking Conscience Seriously </a>by Dolan Cummings.Whether we're considering assertions about speech being free or harmful, having an argument over whether lockdowns were great for saving lives or an authoritarian measure that prioritised health over other things that make lives worth living, or weighing up the merits of car ownership against concerns about air pollution, our conscience will be involved in our deliberations and decisions. Beyond the narrow idea of freedom of conscience - live and let live - argues Cummings, conscience acts as "a bulwark against groupthink and moral conformism". Does conscience need a religious context, or at least some kind of religious heritage, in order to work properly? An instinct, especially a moral one, sounds a bit like something that would discard reasoning and science. Why would we value something that might challenge groupthink if it does so by disregarding evidence and deciding on something that sounds unsafe or unsound? And is conscience something that gives us pangs or is it always switched on? Full details at <a href="http://www.birminghamsalon.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">birminghamsalon.org</a>

Agenda

Salon start

Simon Curtis will introduce the essay

Salon attendee discussion 

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Talking Liberty - Taking Conscience Seriously

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