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Socrates, regarded by many as the initiator of the Western philosophical tradition, was condemned to death for being a troublemaker. In his defence Socrates says that he should be rewarded with free meals for the rest of his life rather than punished because he had rendered the state a great service by being “a gadfly” on the lazy horse of Athenian democracy. – Should thinkers be troublemakers? Is it the responsibility of intellectuals to prevent us from becoming complacent and indolent and to keep us critically alert at all times?

Are faith and reason always incompatible? Are philosophy and religion natural rivals? Or are they actually different ways of finding truth? Is Karl Marx right in claiming that “Religion is the opium of the masses”? Is religion a private matter that outsiders may not criticise or even poke fun at? In this discussion we will discuss to what degree a commitment to reason can be squared with religious belief and what role both of them play in our common lives.

Life keeps on changing. We have new inventions, new ways of working, and new leisure activities. We also face new problems, including political crises, threats to our security, and environmental catastrophes. But which changes really make the biggest difference? Universal education, electricity, going to the Moon, new philosophies, or random changes to the natural environment? What makes a change have high impact? Can we predict what will change our world in the next few decades? Will it ever be possible for us just to stay the same as we are? And would we ever want to stay the same?