Humanism with Andrew Copson

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 COPSONAndrew 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 RESOURCESMethodist Church allows same-sex marriage in 'momentous' voteHumanists UKFrank Turner - Glory HallelujahLittle Book of Humanismhumanist (n.)AnarchismTwo Monkeys Were Paid Unequally: Excerpt from Frans de Waal's TED TalkNicholas WalterTeacher 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 In00:47 - Katherine and Paul catch up05:16 - Introducing Andrew Copson05:46 - Andrew joins the conversation06:10 - Andrew on lockdown07:06 - Andrew on Frank Turner08:35 - Andrew on Humanism12:30 - Andrew on morality16:20 - Andrew on restoration19:30 - Andrew on social codes21:20 - Andrew on religious trends27:22 - Andrew on his Humanism30:27 - Andrew on blasphemy and offence35:52 - Andrew on beliefs and values40:30 - Andrew on certainty42:20 - Andrew on challenging power49:05 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Andrew01:06:05 - Next week on the podcast 01:07:05 - How to get in touch with us 01:07:38 - Thank you’s01:08:24 - 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.