Humanism with Andrew Copson

Somewhere To Believe In

Get your best philosophical hats out for this episode because we’re doing a deep dive into the not-so-holy-trinity of dinner table topics – religion, politics and belief – with Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK.

Andrew gives us the 411 on what it means to be a Humanist. And we wrestle with some meaty questions, like: Where does morality come from? Are religions dying out? Can good ever come from causing offence? And does it really matter what we choose to believe?

Plus, Katherine, Paul and Andrew share in their admiration for Frank Turner, a proud humanist and iconic Greenbelt Festival headliner. And Katherine gives us our first lesson in the history of Anarchism... and it might not be what you expect.

Links, resources and episode timestamps (for all you skippers out there) below.

____

ABOUT ANDREW COPSON

Andrew Copson was appointed Chief Executive of Humanists UK in 2009, having previously been its Director of Education and Public Affairs. He is also the current President of Humanists International, a position he’s held since 2015. His books include The Little Book of Humanism (2020) and The Little Book of Humanist Weddings (2021) with Alice Roberts; Secularism: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019); The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Humanism (2015) with A C Grayling. His writing on humanist and secularist issues has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Times and New Statesman as well as in various journals.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

____

LINKS AND RESOURCES

Methodist Church allows same-sex marriage in 'momentous' vote

Humanists UK

Frank Turner - Glory Hallelujah

Little Book of Humanism

humanist (n.)

Anarchism

Two Monkeys Were Paid Unequally: Excerpt from Frans de Waal's TED Talk

Nicholas Walter

Teacher suspended for showing a picture of Prophet Muhammad refuses to return to work over fears for his life

____

00:00 - Welcome to Somewhere To Believe In

00:47 - Katherine and Paul catch up

05:16 - Introducing Andrew Copson

05:46 - Andrew joins the conversation

06:10 - Andrew on lockdown

07:06 - Andrew on Frank Turner

08:35 - Andrew on Humanism

12:30 - Andrew on morality

16:20 - Andrew on restoration

19:30 - Andrew on social codes

21:20 - Andrew on religious trends

27:22 - Andrew on his Humanism

30:27 - Andrew on blasphemy and offence

35:52 - Andrew on beliefs and values

40:30 - Andrew on certainty

42:20 - Andrew on challenging power

49:05 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Andrew

01:06:05 - Next week on the podcast

01:07:05 - How to get in touch with us

01:07:38 - Thank you’s

01:08:24 - Hidden track

____

A huge thanks to the Greenbelt Volunteer Talks Team for all their hard work on editing this episode. Our podcast music is ‘I Can Change’ by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.

____

https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/

#SomewhereToBelieveIn

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.