Today my mother, Carol Kay, would have turned 55. It is now nearly five months since she died. This article is based on a thought I gave over at a small gathering back in January to mark my mother’s ‘shloshim’, in Jewish tradition the end of the first 30 days after her funeral. For more … Continue reading
In most areas of enquiry, whether in the humanities, the sciences, or any other discipline, the questions we ask determine the knowledge we gain about our chosen subject; the art of asking questions is therefore very important. As we only learn anything new in these areas if we decide to research and ask questions about … Continue reading
Nowadays, deforestation, chopping down loads of trees without replacing them, is generally considered to be detrimental to the local and global climate. But it was not always this way. Today we know that trees and forests, apart from providing nice habitats for a vast variety of species of wildlife, are important carbon sinks: they scrub … Continue reading
A well-known rhyming couplet, attributed to the British journalist William Norman Ewer, goes: “How odd of God, to choose the Jews.” The notion of the Jews as having been ‘chosen’ by God is a very grandiose statement, and those who are not Jewish, and see the claim as arrogant or patronising, can wonder what justifies … Continue reading
I don’t believe that technology and theology are very often compared, but I want to make the rather unusual connection between these two ‘ologies of my title, and apply our understanding of the concept of technology to the world of theology. I want to argue that the ways in which we perceive our technological artefacts … Continue reading
It often seems as if we, in the twenty-first century, have inherited a certain idea about how Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory was received in the nineteenth century. Prevalent among the popular narratives is the idea that the institutions of ‘religion’, particularly the Church, and the institutions of ‘science’, the societies of the men of science, … Continue reading
The metaphor of a ladder is employed often within orthodox Judaism as a way of visualising an individual’s religious journey through life. I believe that the use of this model reveals an all-or-nothing approach to personal ideology and practice which I don’t feel accurately represents the religious experience of most individuals. I think that a … Continue reading
According to Ray Kurzweil, we are approaching a new golden age of human existence, in which human potential will be unlocked, and possibilities for health, happiness and prosperity will become unlimited. But Kurzweil is not a priest, he is not a religious zealot or evangelist, at least not in the conventional sense. He is a … Continue reading
We’re all more or less familiar with the constellations in the night sky; we all understand that their names and shapes are ancient in origin. However, these names and shapes have not always been uncontested, and some fascinating political, religious, and scientific motives have been behind attempts to reform the map of the stars. This … Continue reading
The nineteenth century saw developments in communications techniques and technologies which staggered and baffled contemporary observers. First, the telegraph gave people the unprecedented ability to send messages at the speed of light, then the telephone made this even more wonderful by allowing the transmission of actual speech, and finally wireless transmissions broadcast invisible messages through … Continue reading
In Cornwall, a thousand patients have recently been given equipment to measure their own vital signs, such as blood pressure and oxygen levels, from home, and transmit them to a central hub where clinicians monitor the readings and keep in contact with the patients by telephone if required. This scheme, which you can read more … Continue reading
My BA and my MA were both entitled ‘the history and philosophy of science’. This article could possibly be called ‘the philosophy of history and science’, and is my attempt to outline, very broadly speaking, why I think studying and writing history is so important. I consider myself very lucky to have found a pursuit … Continue reading
In Jewish tradition, when one loses a close family member such as parents, siblings or children, there are certain mourning rituals which need to be observed. These start out very stringent, in the period immediately following the death, and become less so in stages over the course of the coming year. During the period after … Continue reading
Hello, welcome, and thanks for visiting my blog. My intention is to put articles about various things up every week or so, so if a religious topic isn’t your thing, maybe a historical or historiographical discussion will appeal more, or maybe a philosophical exploration of science or technology. I want to apologise if the first … Continue reading
