http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/feed/feed.xml http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/ Thought For The Day Podcasts and web development by www.xactit.com Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:43:39 -0600 EN Copyright 2007 - 2009 Humanist Society of Scotland, All rights reserved Thought For The Day Humanist Society of Scotland Humanist Society of Scotland admin@humanism-scotland.org.uk no Thought for the day - Friday Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist and president of the Social Policy Association. She was formerly BBC social affairs editor, columnist and associate editor of the Independent, co-editor of the Washington Monthly and a reporter and feature writer for the Observer. Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Friday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-20_pollytoynbee.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-20_pollytoynbee.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:05:09 -0600 Thought for the day - Thursday Julian Baggini is a British philosopher and writer. He is the author of The Pig that Wants to be Eaten and 99 other thought experiments (2005) and is a co-founder and editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. He has written for The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and the BBC, and has been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time. Baggini was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996 from University College, London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity.www.julianbaggini.comRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Thursday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-19_julianbaggini.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-19_julianbaggini.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:19:24 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday Maryam Namazie is a rights activist, commentator and broadcaster. She is spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain and is currently organising a rally and public meeting on 7 March 2009 to mark International Women's Day. The campaign promotes citizenship rights and one secular law for all. She is Spokesperson of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain which opposes apostasy laws and political Islam and aims to break the taboo that comes with renouncing Islam and she hosts and produces a weekly International TV programme broadcast in the Middle East. The winner of the 2005 Secularist of the Year award, she is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and a Distinguished Supporter of the BHA; Her blog has been rated one of the top 100 atheist blogs and she was selected one of the top 45 women of the year 2007 by Elle magazine in Canada.Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-18_maryamnamazie.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-18_maryamnamazie.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:31:51 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday A founder member of the Humanist Philosophers Group, Nigel Warburton is perhaps best known for his introductory Philosophy books, all of which are published by Routledge. His main research area is the aesthetics of photography but he has also published in the area of applied ethics and his new book "Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction" www.vsi-free-speech.com is coming out in February 2009. With David Edmonds he runs the popular podcast Philosophy Bites which has now had over three million downloads. Nigel also teaches courses on Aesthetics for Tate Modern.Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-17_nigelwarburton.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-17_nigelwarburton.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:03:40 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday Ariane Sherine is a television comedy writer, journalist and the creator of the Atheist Bus Campaign. She writes for The Guardian and has also written for The Independent and The Sunday Times, as well as writing for TV shows including My Family (BBC1) and Countdown (Channel 4). Ariane won a Special Award from the National Secular Society for creating and running the Atheist Bus Campaign. She was a nominee for Secularist of the Year 2009, and is a Distinguished Member of the British Humanist Association. She is 28 and lives in London. Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-16_arianesherine.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-16_arianesherine.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:08:34 -0600 Thought for the day - Saturday Richard Holloway is a writer and broadcaster. He is the author of twenty-eight books, including Godless Morality, Doubts & Loves, and Looking in the Distance. His most recent, Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human Condition, is shortly to appear in paperback form. He was Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus (Archbishop) of the Scottish Episcopal Church till he stood down in 2000. He was Gresham Professor of Divinity in the City of London 1997-2001. He was a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority from its inception in 1990 till 1997, and chaired its ethics committee. He was a member of the Broadcasting Standards Commission from 2000-2003. He became Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council in 2005 and was appointed Chairman of the Joint Board of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen in December 2006. A frequent broadcaster, he has presented a number of television series, including Holloway's Road, The Sword and the Cross and Art and Soul. He presented BBC Radio Scotland's flagship book programme, Cover Stories for three years.Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Saturday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-14_richardholloway.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-14_richardholloway.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:03:29 -0600 Thought for the day - Friday Jonathan Bartley is founder and director of the Religion and Society thinktank Ekklesia. He was a contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, until he called for the slot to be widened to include those outside the major world religions, including Humanists and Atheists. A regular columnist for the Church Times, he is an author of a number of books on religion and public life, contributor to the Guardian's Comment is Free, frequently appears on Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show, and is a panellist on BBC1's the Big Questions. The Daily Telegraph says he 'does not conform to the stereotype of a peace campaigner' and the Guardian's Riazat Butt has called him 'the best looking Christian in Britain'. Damian Thompson, editor of the Catholic Herald and leader writer for the Daily Telegraph refuses to meet him 'in case I like him.' When Jonathan is not doing religion and politics, he plays in a blues band signed to the Blues Matters Label, called The Mustangs.Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Friday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-13_jonathanbartley.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-13_jonathanbartley.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:02:28 -0600 Thought for the day - Thursday - Darwin Day Claire Rayner was born in January 1931 in London. She trained as a nurse, winning the gold medal for outstanding achievement when she became an SRN in 1954. Since the start of her writing career in 1960, she has written over 90 fiction and non-fiction books, published in more than twenty countries. Probably best known as the UK's leading 'Agony Aunt' Claire has written problem pages for teenage magazines as well as The Sun, The Sunday Mirror, (which attracted 50,000 letters a year) and Today. She is also an award-winning medical journalist and her columns have run in Woman's Own and later Woman magazine as well as many other titles. Claire presented regular slots on many popular TV programmes including Pebble Mill, Good Morning Britain and TVAM before moving to Good Morning with Anne and Nick on BBC. Her radio work includes her own programmes on Radio 2 and she has been the subject of Desert Island Discs and In the Psychiatrist's Chair as well as This is Your Life on television. Her public work is far too extensive and varied to detail here but among her many commitments she is the President of The Patient's Association and was for several years a member of The Royal College of Nursing Committee on Ethics. She is a former President of the British Humanist Association and the National Association of Bereavement Counsellors. She is currently an associate non-executive director of the Royal London Hospitals Trust and campaigns on the issue of Elderly Care; she also chairs the Health Advisory Board at Holloway Prison and is patron, advisor and or supporter of many welfare, social and charitable organisations. In 1996 she was awarded an OBE 'for services to women's issues and health issues'. In 2001 she was given the 'Republican of the Year' award, and the 'Healthwatch Award Of The Year'. Claire married Desmond Rayner in 1957 and they live in North London. They have three children, three grandsons and a granddaughter. Claire lists amongst her hobbies giving parties, talking and anything theatrical.Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Thursday - Darwin Day http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-12_clairerayner.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-12_clairerayner.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:04:42 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday Mark Thomas is an author, comedian and activist who still just about has a regular column in the New Statesman magazine. He was born in South London in 1963 and educated at a local primary school before winning a scholarship to Christ's Hospital public school. He went on to take a degree in Theatre Arts at Bretton Hall which he did while doing shows in miner's soup kitchens during the strike. He began his stand up work at the White Lion 1985, going on to become a regular compere at the Comedy Store, founding the weekly Cutting Edge topical show and winning a Time Out award for his "distinctive contribution to the art of comedy". Since then he's worked on stage, TV and radio, with many shows including the Mark Thomas Comedy Product and a famous episode of Channel 4 Dispatches - "The Lie of the Land" where he investigated the way the wealthy avoid inheritance tax, prompting Gordon Brown to change the law in the following budget. Among many honours, he has been presented with the Kurdish National Congress Medal of Honour, a United Nations International Services Association Global Human Rights Defender Award, a Sony Award for his radio show" Serious Organised Criminal" on Radio 4 and one from The Guinness Book of Records for the "most number of political demonstrations in 24 hours." He has also been banned for life from all Mean Fiddler events and venues and acquitted of criminal damage after he and some friends "locked on" to a bus full of arms dealers. His most recent book, "Belching Out The Devil", an expose of the Coca Cola Company, was awarded the Emerald Eagle Award for fair and unbiased reporting. In 2008 he was made an honorary doctor by Bradford University for services to peace, in particular in recognition of his effective campaigning on the ethics of the arms trade. www.markthomasinfo.comRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-11_markthomas.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-11_markthomas.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:12:18 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday Broadcaster, journalist, and best-selling author Muriel Gray was born in Glasgow in 1958. After gaining an honours degree in art from Glasgow School of Art in 1979, her broadcasting career began in 1982 as a co-presenter of Channel 4's music show The Tube. This led to a twenty year career in television and radio, encompassing everything from the arts and entertainment to long running factual series and current affairs. She set up her own production company in 1987, Gallus Besom, which later became Ideal World, from which IWC Media was formed. In addition to her broadcasting career, Muriel was the first woman rector of Edinburgh University, a post she served for three years. Muriel began her writing career with a best selling mountaineering book in the late eighties entitled The First Fifty. In 1993 she published her first horror novel The Trickster, which was followed by Furnace and The Ancient, described by Stephen King as "the one thriller you have to read in 2001. Scary and un-putdownable." Muriel lives in Glasgow with her husband and three children. After her family, her other passions are mountaineering, snowboarding, horror cinema and growing trees Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-10_mgray.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-10_mgray.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:11:43 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday Anthony Grayling MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited many books on philosophy and other subjects; among his most recent are a biography of William Hazlitt and a collection of essays. For several years he wrote the "Last Word" column for the Guardian newspaper and is a regular reviewer for the Literary Review and the Financial Times. He also often writes for the Observer, Economist, Times Literary Supplement, Independent on Sunday and New Statesman, and is a frequent broadcaster on BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service. He is the Editor of Online Review London, Contributing Editor of Prospect magazine. In addition he sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals, and for nearly ten years was the Honorary Secretary of the principal British Philosophical Association, the Aristotelian Society. He is a past chairman of June Fourth, a human rights group concerned with China, and has been involved in UN human rights initiative. Anthony Grayling is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum, and a member of its C-100 group on relations between the West and the Islamic world. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and in 2003 was a Booker Prize judge. www.acgrayling.comRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-09_acgrayling.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2009-02-09_acgrayling.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:11:51 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday Marion Richardson was for many years a guidance teacher and is now a humanist celebrant married to another humanist celebrant. They are Secretary and Treasurer respectively of the Aberdeen Group of HSS, which group was much enhanced by having among their number the young man who inspired this thought for the day. He is much in their thoughts at this crucial point in his life. They would be only too glad to hear from anyone who could advice or help. www.humanism-scotland.org.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-03-05_marionrichardson.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-03-05_marionrichardson.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:09:43 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday Having been a HSS Registered Celebrant since spring 2001, Mandy Evans Ewing was one of the first twelve to be authorised as a Marriage Celebrant in 2005. She is Humanist Chaplain for the University of Glasgow, and has served on the HSS NEC and Glasgow Group Committee. As a Social Worker to trade and with a passion for holistic models of care, Mandy has run her own business for 10 years offering Life Guidance, Coaching and Consultancy. She also works in the arts, and currently dances and works with Indepen-dance, a mixed ability dance company. Mandy Evans Ewing is a Director of 'Emerge - The Foundation-, which is implementing the pioneering 'Coming of Age Project', and is a co-founder of The (Scottish) Constitutional Commission. She climbs mountains. Mandy is an advocate for, and leader in, connecting with, calling forth, cultivating and celebrating the best of the human spirit. She is soon to launch 'The Love Alliance'. www.humanism-scotland.org.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-03-04_mandyevansewing.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-03-04_mandyevansewing.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:01:02 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday Currently "resting" after many years working in IT within the Financial Services industry, Jon Pullman graduated from Edinburgh University in 1984 with an honours degree in English and History only to realize too late that the life of the mind, and all the creativity that flows from it, was a viable career option. Always interested in the whys and wherefores of everything, but with an increasing compulsion to analyse, write about, film and generally document the marvellous miscellany of people, places and ideas which form this amazing world, he is now trying to make up for lost time. His weblog of comments, reflections and images is at www.jonpullman.com Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-03-03_jonpullman.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-03-03_jonpullman.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:11:22 -0600 Thought for the day - Friday Andrew joined the BHA in 2005 and is now responsible for education and public affairs, co-ordinating the BHA's campaigns. He came to the BHA from the Citizenship Foundation and has wide experience embarcing sex and sexuality education, education funding, and curriculum reform as well as from a number of single issue campaigns. He has also taught Latin, Greek and Ancient History, having graduated from Oxford with a first in Ancient and Modern History. He was a member of the winning team of the 2005 Young Educational Thinker of the Year Programme. www.humanism.org.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Friday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-29_andrewcopson.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-29_andrewcopson.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:09:15 -0600 Thought for the day - Thursday Stella Potter lives and works in Aberdeenshire with her daughters. She came to Humanism through agnosticism and some eclectic reading from an excellent local library. She trained as a Humanist celebrant seven years ago to provide her district with non-religious life ceremonies. She also serves her community as a Home Carer, Librarian and producing local community publications. Stella considers that the way to way to live her one life is to fully engage at all levels with her fellow human beings. She rejected a successful high salaried career that did not involve her with people. She says for her Atheism is not enough - to merely not adhere to theism is too negative, but Humanism, with its long established ethical principles, enables her to have a positive moral framework to live her life well. www.humanism-scotland.org.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Thursday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-28_stellapotter.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-28_stellapotter.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:49:38 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday Hanne joined the BHA as Executive Director in December 2001. Previous to this she had worked for another charity for 15 years, most recently in management development. She has a particular interest in human rights and discrimination issues, and in promoting the fact that it is not necessary to have religious beliefs to have values. Her personal ambitions are to see Humanism much more widely understood, and to get more sleep. www.humanism.org.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-27_hannestinson.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-27_hannestinson.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:58:53 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday Clare Marsh is a retied teacher of biology, now secretary of the Glasgow Group of the HSS. She is assisting the education officer of the HSS by co-ordinating the development of teaching materials for schools in Scotland by the recently established working groups. www.humanism-scotland.org.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-26_claremarsh.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-26_claremarsh.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:13:29 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday Originally from Canada, Tim is currently finishing a PhD in linguistics in Edinburgh and is Vice-president of the Edinburgh University Humanist Society. Tim and his wife are members of the HSS and the Humanist Academy. "We recently became parents, and are enjoying this new adventure in being human animals". friendlyhumanist.blogspot.com humanist.eusa.ed.ac.uk Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-25_timmills.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-25_timmills.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:57:27 -0600 Thought for the day - Friday Gordon Ross is Treasurer and National Ceremonies Co-ordinator of the Humanist Society of Scotland. He was an active celebrant until Parkinson's Disease made that impossible. In earlier lifes he worked in travel, broadcasting, the theatre, taxi driving, the barras, and even the civil service.Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Friday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-22_gordonross.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-22_gordonross.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:07:08 -0600 Thought for the day - Thursday Christopher Brookmyre is the author of eleven published novels to date, the latest being "Attack Of The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks", published August 2007. Chris won the seventh Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with "All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye" and, as is tradition, a Gloucestershire Old Spot pig was named after the winning novel.On accepting the award, Chris said:"My favourite PG Wodehouse quote is 'It is seldom difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman and a ray of sunshine'; today I'd like to think that I resemble the ray of sunshine."He was raised and schooled in Barrhead, before attending the University of Glasgow. Chris is married to an anaesthetist and supports St Mirren F.C. Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Thursday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-21_christopherbrookmyre.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-21_christopherbrookmyre.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:10:17 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday "A Johannesburger in London becoming British", Brett Lock was the editor of Gay Humanist Quarterly, and an active member of the Gay & Lesbian Humanist Association. He is also a regular contributor to the political blog Harry's Place and a campaigner with the gay human rights group, OutRage!. Coming of age in South Africa during the turbulent 80s, Brett has always been involved in politics of one sort or another, and always been more than willing to provide an opinion. www.gayhumanist.com www.galha.org Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-20_brettlock.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-20_brettlock.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:04:09 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday Maryam Namazie is a rights activist, commentator and broadcaster on Iran, the Middle East, women's rights, cultural relativism, secularism, Humanism, religion, Islam and political Islam. She is the Spokesperson of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain; National Secular Society's 2005 Secularist of the Year award winner and an NSS Honorary Associate; producer of TV International English; Director of the Worker-communist Party of Iran's International Relations Committee; and co-editor of WPI Briefing. She is also involved in the Third Camp against US militarism and Islamic terrorism; a Vice president of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association; and an honorary associate of the Rationalist International. She has spoken at numerous conferences and written many articles on women's rights issues, violence against women, political Islam, and secularism - some of which have been translated into various languages. She has been interviewed on BBC TV and radio, including the Heaven and Earth programme and the Moral Maze, ABC TV Australia, quoted in Time magazine, the Independent, the Observer, the Guardian, Al Ahram Weekly, Persian media outlets, and had articles published in various sources, including Tribune, the Blanket and Gender Policy Review. Previously, Namazie was the elected Executive Director of the International Federation of Iranian Refugee, a refugee run organisation with 60 branches in 15 countries worldwide; founded the Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR); was the Human Rights Advocates Training Programme Coordinator at Columbia University's Centre for the Study of Human Rights in New York and the NYC Refugee Coordinator/ US National Steering Committee Member of Amnesty International. She also ran a refugee women's leadership training programme in NYC. www.maryamnamazie.comRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-19_maryamnamazie.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-19_maryamnamazie.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:19:45 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday Julian Baggini is a British philosopher and writer. He is the author of The Pig that Wants to be Eaten and 99 other thought experiments (2005) and is a co-founder and editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. He has written for The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and the BBC, and has been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time. Baggini was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996 from University College, London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity.www.julianbaggini.comRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-18_julianbaggini.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-18_julianbaggini.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:37:02 -0600 Thought for the day - Friday Stephen Law is currently senior lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK: Philosophy For Everyone. He is the author of several popular introductions to philosophy, including The Philosophy Gym and The Philosophy Files - a philosophy book for children that combines cartoons and quirky humour and addresses such perrenial philosophical puzzles as "How do I know my parents aren't virtual?" Phillip Pullman said about his book on faith schools - The war For Children's Minds - that it "should be read by every teacher, every parent, and every politician." After being asked to leave Sixth Form College, he worked as a postman for four years before discovering philosophy. He first entered university as a mature student. Stephen was Junior Research Fellow at The Queen's College, Oxford for three years while he wrote his doctoral thesis on hidden essences. Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Friday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-15_stephenlaw.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-15_stephenlaw.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:15:51 -0600 Thought for the day - Thursday Nigel Warburton is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University and author of a number of books on philosophy, including Philosophy: The Basics, Philosophy: The Classics, Thinking from A to Z, and The Art Question. He is a founder member of the Humanist Philosophers Group, and a regular contributor to Radio 4 programmes. His weblog, Virtual Philosopher, is at www.nigelwarburton.typepad.com/ Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Thursday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-14_nigelwarburton.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-14_nigelwarburton.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:50:58 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday Iain Macwhirter is the award-winning political columnist for the Sunday Herald and the Herald. He is also a political broadcaster of twenty years standing, in Westminster and Holyrood. Iain joined the BBC from Edinburgh University, becoming Scottish Political Correspondent in 1987. In 1989 he moved to Westminster where he was a member of the Parliamentary Lobby for ten years. In that time he presented programmes like "Westminster Live" on BBC 2 and wrote political commentaries for the Observer and the Scotsman. In 1999 he returned to Scotland to launch the Sunday Herald and present the 'Holyrood' television programmes on BBC Scotland. He lives in Edinburgh and walks the hills. Read the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-13_iainmcwhirter.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-13_iainmcwhirter.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:37:52 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday - Darwin Day Anthony Grayling MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA is Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited many books on philosophy and other subjects; among his most recent are a biography of William Hazlitt and a collection of essays. For several years he wrote the "Last Word" column for the Guardian newspaper and is a regular reviewer for the Literary Review and the Financial Times. He also often writes for the Observer, Economist, Times Literary Supplement, Independent on Sunday and New Statesman, and is a frequent broadcaster on BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service. He is the Editor of Online Review London, Contributing Editor of Prospect magazine. In addition he sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals, and for nearly ten years was the Honorary Secretary of the principal British Philosophical Association, the Aristotelian Society. He is a past chairman of June Fourth, a human rights group concerned with China, and has been involved in UN human rights initiative. Anthony Grayling is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum, and a member of its C-100 group on relations between the West and the Islamic world. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and in 2003 was a Booker Prize judge. www.acgrayling.comRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday - Darwin Day http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-12_acgrayling.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-12_acgrayling.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:04:27 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday Writer and comedian Arthur Smith was born in South London in 1954. He started on the alternative comedy circuit in the 1980s, specialising in being a compere. He has been a regular performer at the Edinburgh festival. He is also an accomplished playwright. Plays include: An Evening with Gary Lineker (1994), My Summer with Des (1998), 'The Bed Show' and his one-show 'Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen'. He has presented the BBC Radio 4 travel programme 'Excess Baggage' and has been a regular on 'Loose Ends'. On TV, he's been a regular Grumpy Old Man and Countdown wordsmith. The BBC website says, "He regularly produces material that's both surreal, and almost instantly cultish, as well as popular." The story in Arthur's podcast will also appear in his forthcoming autobiography. www.arthursmith.co.ukRead the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-11_arthursmith.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2008-02-11_arthursmith.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:39:32 -0600 Thought for the day - Saturday My background lies in Nursery Nursing and over the years I have worked at the Queen Mother's Special Care Baby Unit at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, at a Nursery School and Family Centre in Fife, and along with 2 other women run my own successful private Nursery business. In 1987 our son Roy was born. Unfortunately he had a serious heart and lung condition, which meant that his life was limited. Sadly Roy died when he was just 4 years old and my husband and I were devastated. This loss, along with other painful losses of both my parents, gradually led me towards humanism. When we suffer such losses it makes us question what life is all about, and I decided that I wanted to use my experiences positively and in a way that would help others. So I started working with the families of children with life-limiting illnesses at Rachel House Children's Hospice in Kinross. It was a truly wonderful experience and I learned so much. However there finally came a point in my life where I had to think about moving on and when I discovered humanism it felt like the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle had fallen into place, and since becoming a humanist celebrant I have been both challenged and fulfilled in the role of conducting non-religious ceremonies to mark the important events that occur throughout our lives. Whether it's a baby naming, a wedding or a funeral, my aim is to create a personal and memorable experience for everyone involved. www.humanism-scotland.org.ukDownload the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Saturday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-15_gillianstewart.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-15_gillianstewart.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:23:31 -0600 Thought for the day - Friday Julian Baggini is a British philosopher and writer. He is the author of The Pig that Wants to be Eaten and 99 other thought experiments (2005) and is a co-founder and editor of The Philosophers' Magazine. He has written for The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and the BBC, and has been a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time. Baggini was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996 from University College, London for a thesis on the philosophy of personal identity. His forthcoming book: Welcome to Everytown: A Journey into the English Mind is published by Granta in march www.julianbaggini.comDownload the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Friday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-14_julianbaggini.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-14_julianbaggini.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:05:04 -0600 Thought for the day - Thursday Nigel Warburton is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University and author of a number of books on philosophy, including Philosophy: The Basics, Philosophy: The Classics, Thinking from A to Z, and The Art Question. He is a founder member of the Humanist Philosophers Group, and a regular contributor to Radio 4 programmes. His weblog, Virtual Philosopher, is at www.virtualphilosopher.orgDownload the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Thursday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-13_nigelwarburton.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-13_nigelwarburton.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:03:44 -0600 Thought for the day - Wednesday Kate Hudson has been chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament since 2003. She is a leading anti-nuclear and anti-war campaigner nationally and internationally. She is also author of CND Now More than Ever: The Story of a Peace Movement. www.cnduk.orgDownload the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Wednesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-12_katehudson.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-12_katehudson.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:02:24 -0600 Thought for the day - Tuesday Stewart Lee is a stand-up comedian, writer and director. His last show was a monologue about Judas at the Bush theatre, London, and he is currently devising a site-specific piece about DIY for the Manchester festival. www.stewartlee.co.ukDownload the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Tuesday http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-11_stewartlee.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-11_stewartlee.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 23 Feb 2007 06:00:45 -0600 Thought for the day - Monday - Darwin Day Grayling was born in Luanshya, Zambia and spent his formative years in the British expatriate community of East Africa. His first exposure to philosophical writing was at the age of twelve when he read an English translation of Plato's Charmides dialogue. At fourteen he read G. H. Lewes's Biographical History of Philosophy. This work was instrumental in confirming his ambition to study philosophy. Grayling later remarked on the text, "It superinduced order on the random reading that had preceded it, and settled my vocation." After returning to England in his teens Grayling studied at Sussex University and Magdalen College, Oxford where he obtained his doctorate in 1981. The subject of his thesis was "scepticism and transcendental arguments." This was supervised by the philosophers P. F. Strawson and A. J. Ayer. Grayling lectured in philosophy at St Anne's College, Oxford before taking up a post at Birkbeck, University of London where he subsequently became Reader in Philosophy. www.acgrayling.comDownload the transcript of this Thought For Today Thought for the day - Monday - Darwin Day http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-09_acgrayling.mp3 http://www.thoughtfortheworld.org/p.php?file=2007-02-09_acgrayling.mp3 Humanist Society of Scotland no Fri, 23 Feb 2007 05:58:32 -0600