And another thing | 13 December 2008

A simple explanation for the origins of the universe — and us too

Some people maintain that, in the age of the internet and Google, public lectures are an outmoded way of acquiring knowledge. I don’t agree. They demand effort to get to, fighting London’s horrid traffic, crowded tubes, parking problems etc., and that is a prolegomenon to concentration. They also force one to follow an argument with no skipping. An uncomfortable setting is a further stimulus to thought. The Royal Institute of Philosophy’s annual lecture series this winter on religion, organised by Professor Anthony O’Hear, is in a room at University College, a new one since it seems to be made of plywood and cardboard. The seats are linked in groups of four on the Eton boating song principle of swing, swing together, since if a neighbour shifts his arse you feel it too. When I attended, the heating system, UCL being short of money, was turned right up, and since the room was packed, with people sitting on the floor, we were in the black hole of Calcutta.