Gresham College Lectures
Episodes
3038 episodes
A Physicist looks at Sport
Whether or not Londoners will be watching the next Olympic Games on TV or in a stadium just a few Tube stops away, what is going on in sports of speed, balance, strength, and rotational movement? Why do different sports use such strange scoring sy...
The Reform of Parliament and the Crisis of Political Participation
The House of Commons is, as the popularly elected chamber, by far the stronger of the two houses of Parliament. Yet many argue that the Commons has become ineffective as a check upon government. What has been the impact of recent reforms of the Co...
Heading for Trouble: The perils of navigation
This lecture was a part of the SeaBritrain2005 series of events, which celebrated the ways in which the sea touches all of our lives.
Reflections on Secret Intelligence
Sir David Omand KCB, Former Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator, The Cabinet OfficeChairman: Jack Wigglesworth, Chairman, The Gresham Society....
Our Marble Tribute
Between 1795 and 1815, the British Government spent an amazing £110,575 on thirty-three marble monuments to the heroes of the wars against Napoleonic France. These now people the aisles, crypt and walls of St Paul¹s Cathedral, and visitors pass th...
Einstein and the Universe
In 1915 Albert Einstein produced a theory of gravity that allows us to describe whole universes. What is that theory, how does it work, why do we take it seriously, and what are these universes that it predicts can exist? We will look at some of t...
The perverse and the reverse: how bad measures skew markets
Can any market be said to fail? Without clear measures for buyers, sellers or investors, markets function poorly. Markets are made to measure. Through an examination of measurement failures, we will explore the importance of defining the 'correct'...
Franklin and the North West Passage
Visit www.seabritain2005.com for information on festivities and events throughout 2005 and beyond. SeaBritrain2005 celebrates the ways in which the sea touches all of our lives.
The Mariners' Instruments
Visit www.seabritain2005.com for information on festivities and events throughout 2005 and beyond. SeaBritrain2005 celebrates the ways in which the sea touches all of our lives.
India: The Jewel in the Crown
The loss of the American colonies in 1783 deprived Great Britain of what was seen as the jewel of the Empire, and heralded the end of the First British Empire. But India soon came to replace North America as the jewel. This lecture will look at th...
How vital is motivation in our lives?
Raj Persaud uses examples of extraordinary success to discuss what forces are at work to help the apparent lucky few attain what the rest of us desire. Theories around luck, internal or external forces beyond or within our control and the relative...
Music in History
How well served is music in general and cultural histories, especially in those publications devoted to particular periods or countries? Are historians more wary of music than of other art forms? If so, what strategies can interested parties devel...
Who invented algebra?
Arabic mathematicians embraced the mathematics of Ancient Greece and India. What did they do, and how did their achievements influence Europe in the Middle Ages? We trace the story up to the establishment of universities, the development of perspe...
Atlantic Navigators: The Brendan Voyage
A first-hand account of a harrowing voyage from the south-west coast of Ireland across the North Atlantic in a small open boat skinned with ox hides. Tim Severin and his companions set out to test whether the legendary voyage of...
The Susskind Interviews: Legal experts in changing times
A special event marking the launch of a book containing Professor Susskind's interviews at Gresham College with eminent legal figures, including the Lord Chief Justice, three Lord Chancellors and the Senior Law Lord.
Leadership and Change: Prime Ministers in the Post-War World - Winston Churchill
This is a part of the series Leadership and Change: Prime Ministers in the Post-War World.
Globalisation, Investments and International Accounting Standards
Professor Sir David TweedieChairman, International Accounting Standards BoardIntroduction by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood KT FBAProvost of...
Playing with the language of music
The pre-concert talk provides an overview to the series and show what the different parameters of music are - pitch, rhythm, structure, texture, harmony, dynamics and how they can be used in a humorous way. The concert programme includes pieces by...
Alternative Electoral Systems
In 1918, one commentator claimed that there were over 300 alternative electoral systems in existence. Human ingenuity being what it is, there are probably many more today. What are the main types? What would be the likely consequences of changing ...
Danish Fairy Tales? From Andersen and the Copenhagen consensus towards a theory of commerce
What are markets and why do they matter? What would a grand unified theory of markets look like? Given intense criticism of liberal capitalism, we will consider how to frame a theory of commerce and ask, "who is wearing the Emperor's new clothes?"
Philosophy of Religion
This event celebrated the publication of Professor Griffith-Dickson's new book, 'Philosophy of Religion'
The Planets
Dava Sobel is the author of 'Longitude', a prize-winning international bestseller, and 'Galileo's Daughter', which was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize....
Regulatory capture
As societies shift from government ownership of major services, such as transport and health, to government regulation, they can swap one failure for another. Regulators, for example, risk being captured by those they are supposed to be regulating...
History of Sport in London
The idea for a lecture about the history of sport in London came about with the news that London was making a bid to hold the Olympic Games in 2012. It has always been believed that the only city in this country to have a chance of hosting the gam...
Should We Trust The Scientists?
The 2005 Gresham Special Lecture was given at The Great Hall, Guildhall, delivered by Professor The Lord Winston.Introduced by: Lord Sutherland of Houndwood KT, Provost, Gresham College
The Enhanced Analytics Initiative
Research units of investment banks could be forgiven for thinking the world is an unfriendly place! First there was Elliot Spitzer, the reputational crisis and legal fines. Now there is an inexorable drift to unbundling. Even the SEC Chairman, Wil...
So just how does a brain work and can we design machines the same way?
Understanding how the brain functions may well qualify as the most difficult single problem that mankind will ever encounter. Some would consider that it is a logical impossibility for a brain to understand its own workings.However, the huge t...
Mozart, Gluck and the Reform of 18th Century Opera
Roderick Swanston, Writer and Broadcaster An introduction to the furious world of opera reform in the 18th century. Were Mozart and Gluck on the same side?
Why learn a language?
With English emerging as the main world language, studying foreign languages might seem to be less important today. However, 60% of trade is with non-English speaking countries and other languages, such as Spanish, are catching up on the Internet....
Micro-credit
Micro-credit - the commercial lending of small amounts of money to those who would otherwise not have access to credit - seems such a worthy idea and the oft-cited example of the Grameen Bank excites many. However, there are precious few other exa...
Britain and Germany: from ally to enemy
As France was the traditional enemy, Germany was the traditional ally, a relationship tightened by royal links. Then, in the late nineteenth century, Germany demanded 'a place in the sun'?, which required colonies and a navy larger than Britain's....
Cultural change and consumerism: contemporary churchgoing in perspective
The means and modes, by which religion can reflect culture, and culture religion, are myriad and multifarious. It is never easy to say at what point culture has appropriated religion, and at what point religion has consumed culture, and then begun...
'Gods of Commerce and Theives': Perceptions of Jews, Crime and Business in London
Some of the most nefarious anti-Semitic stereotypes are deeply embedded in English culture with Shakespeare's Shylock and Dickens' Fagin two of the best known. There exists, however, a wide spectrum of "Jewish types" associated with business in L...
Science and the human person
Has modern science rendered body/mind dualism obsolete? Is there any place for speaking of the soul? How do modern views of the brain impinge on the religious beliefs about the unique dignity of human persons and the religious hope for immortality?
Islam and acceptable trading
Ali Kazimi is the Head of Investment Tax Services, Barclays Global InvestorsThe next lecture in the series is 'Gods of Commerce and...
Creating new species: the future of man and his dominion over other animals
My lectures have shown that while most human behaviours are similar to those of other species our superior capacities for consciousness and self awareness have given us the intellect and power to exert dominion over them.For many humans, relat...
The Grand Tour of Europe
The British relationship with Europe was not solely about war: it was also about culture, and social polish. In the period before the invention of the railways, travel for pleasure was largely the province of the wealthy. Most people travelled to ...
Religion in the City: Christian Philanthropy and the City 1830-1850
Religion in the City: Christian Philanthropy and the City 1830-1850 Revd Dr Stephen Orchard, Principal, Westminster College, Cambridge Next lecture in the series is Islam and Acceptable Trading
The influence of Schoenberg
The influence of Schoenberg * Strauss - Schatzwalzer "Zigeunerbaron" arr. Webern * Strauss - Wein, Weib und Gesang arr. Berg * Strauss - Rosen aus dem Suden arr. Schoenberg * Strauss - Lagunenwalzer arr. Schoenberg
Lutoslawski
Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and premiered in London by Rostropovich in 1970. This lecture explores the compositional process and performance history through the sketches, concepts of musical dram...
How to stay sane despite your teachers and parents
Psychology is becoming increasingly popular as a course of study for A-level. Raj Persaud, a practising psychologist and psychiatrist, as well as a well-known journalist and radio and TV broadcaster, examined some of the facts.
At war with the French: Louis XIV and Napoleon
Both Louis XIV in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and Napoleon in the nineteenth made France the most powerful country on the Continent. Indeed, Napoleon can be considered the first man since Charlemagne in the ninth century to have...
How hard is a hard problem?
How can we distinguish between 'easy problems' and 'hard problems'? In this lecture I shall explain what is meant by an 'algorithm', and present some celebrated algorithms that can be used to solve a range of practical problems. I then investigate...
Religion and the quantum world
Does quantum physics offer confirmation of some religious or spiritual views? Or is this a misuse of quantum theory?
Infinity and beyond
* We look at the different conceptions of 'infinity' that exist in mathematics, science and philosophy. * We ask whether it is possible for physical infinities to arise in the universe and whether a machine could ever complete an infinite number o...
Public services, private finance: good or bad?
What are the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) that governments all over the world are parading as solutions to the troubles of financing public services? * Is PPP a solution to the London Underground? * Are t...
How does a new opera take flight?
Edward Hughes and artists from The Opera Group and I Fagiolini The creative team behind The Birds gave an entertaining introduction to developing an opera for the City London Festival - from the initial draft to the singers' struggle to learn the ...
Some London heroes of science and technology
GRESHAM IN THE CITY' LECTURE London has been a magnet for scientists and inventors since the seventeenth century. Adam Hart-Davis tells the tales of a few of his favourites, both famous and forgotten, with the help of lantern slides and perhaps a ...
Book Launch: The Infinite Book
A short guide to the boundless, timeless and endlessby John D Barrow FRS...
Janacek
A discussion with the Janácek scholar Professor John Tyrrell (Cardiff University).In the last eight years of his life, Janácek wrote four operas and other major works in a seemingly effortless manner. This fecundity, however, disguises many st...
Religion, ethics and evolutionary psychology
Does evolutionary psychology (socio-biology) explain the basis of morality, or undermine it? This lecture considered altruism and the 'selfish gene', and looked at competing theories of natural selection and of 'directionality' in evolution.
Modern music and performance practice
* Modern music and performance practice * Berg - Lyric Suite (Perle) with Soprano * Schoenberg - Second String Quartet with Soprano
Addicted to love, beauty or sex?
On Valentine's Day it is appropriate to consider whether humans, and perhaps at least some other species, are so addicted to love that they cannot exist without it. * Is love really like an addictive drug? * What are the features that define perce...
The celestial geometry of John Flamsteed: Mapping the heavens from 17th century Greenwich
During his 46 years as Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed elevated the mapping of the heavens to an entirely new level. His practical geometry, and his development of mathematical instruments that worked to a new standard of accuracy, meant that his...
At war with the French: the Hundred Years
At the outset, the English Crown ruled over tracts of territory in what is now France. By means of the Hundred Years' War from 1337 to 1453, the French essentially expelled Britain from the Continent.Two of the most famous battles were Crécy i...
Prime-time mathematics
Prime numbers form the building blocks of arithmetic. But if we make a list of them, many questions arise. Pairs of primes differing by 2 (such as 5 and 7, or 101 and 103) seem to occur 'all the way up', but there can also be huge gaps between suc...
Astronomy - Much ado about nothing
The conception of 'nothing' has played a crucial role in the development of logic, mathematics, physics, philosophy and theology. This lecture looked at how these currents have led to the modern picture of the 'vacuum' in quantum physics and how i...
The Human Rights Act: Cornerstone of a New Constitution
The Human Rights Act of 1998 gives us, in effect, a Bill of Rights. * But what is a Bill of Rights and how is it likely to operate in practice? * Is it likely to lead to a conflict between the judges interpreting our rights and Parli...
Ethics in finance
At the heart of the recent spate of financial scandals from Enron to Parmalat lies a yawning deficit in the ethical behaviour of bankers - so say some. Others argue that there is no role for ethics in finance beyond the requirements of the law. * ...
Life and the universe
An exploration of the ways in which the Universe's structure is connected to the evolution of life within it. * We will look at the unusual properties of the Earth and the solar system that have been important factors in the evolution of terrestri...
Aggression: the biology of war and peace
Aggression lies at the heart of biological competition but its consequence in both human and animal societies can be self-destructive and a threat to social stability.Do other social species declare war on each other and can we learn anything ...
In the beginning: the Roman, the Viking and the Norman Conquests
As an island people, the inhabitants of Britain were repeatedly subject to invasions from the Continent, at least until they had a powerful navy of their own. Although most historians consider that the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was also a succes...
The Limits of Science
Are there any limits to scientific explanation? Are there irreducibly different forms of explanation?
The Artful Universe
A look at art and science in which we explore the aesthetics of fractals, the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock, musical appreciation, the biological basis of landscape appreciation and some contrasts between art and science.
Beagle 2 and Beyond
One year on from the launch of Beagle 2, former Gresham Professor Colin Pillinger talks about the developments that have taken place.
Can a country take out financial insurance against macro-risks like currency instability or global terrorism?
Many countries are vulnerable to external shocks such as a spike in oil prices, a drop in a competitor's currency or a collapse in world-wide tourism following a terrorist attack somewhere else. * Can governments hedge their economies against thes...
Europe and the old Constitution
* How has our membership of the European Union affected our constitution? * The European Union has been drawing up its own constitution and the Prime Minister has promised to call a referendum on it before ratifying it. * What is the relationship ...
Is suicide sane? To be or not to be, that is the question
To be or not to be, that is the question. The world's number one suicide spot is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco where, since its building, debate has raged as to whether an anti-suicide fence should be put up to restrain jumpers. The deba...
What is the future of mutuals now?
Daniel Hodson, former Gresham Professor of Commerce with Anthony Hilton, Financial Editor, London Evening Standard and Philip Williamson, Chief Executive, Nationwide Building Society. Why did mutuals occur and what purposes did/do they serve? Some...
The Composer Virtuoso - Liszt's Transcendental Studies
A discussion with Professor Jim Samson (Royal Holloway, University of London), author of the award-winning Virtuosity and the Musical Work. Why did Liszt compose three different versions of this monumental piano work, and what can we learn about 1...
Much ado about zero
The concept of zero developed in many cultures over thousands of years. Why did such a 'natural' idea take so long? This lecture illustrated the wide-ranging mathematical achievements of China, India and Central America over a thousand-year period...
Cosmology and creation
Has quantum cosmology made God redundant? Does religion have anything to add to scientific cosmology?
Maths, risk and careers in the City
This talk gave an insight into how the mathematics we learn at school and college is applied in a practical way in careers, especially in the world of finance, and looked at some of the opportunities open to mathematics students.
Diet and obesity: manna from the Gods or the food of destruction?
Obesity has shifted from being a rare symbol of decadence and riches to a widespread problem of ignorance, poverty and economic exploitation. New prospective wonder diets are today's front-page news. How much of the problem is down to genetic pred...
Two thousand years of London Bridge
The fascinating story of all the bridges that have been London Bridge through the last two thousand years, from the Roman Bridge, and Peter de Colechurch's famous bridge with the houses, through Sir John Rennie's nineteenth century bridge, now in ...
Presenting Unwanted Histories: The project to establish the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
Dr Gareth Griffiths, Director of the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol.This is the 2004 Joint Royal Historical Society/Gresham College Annual Lecture.
The once and future universe
* What is the long-term future of the universe? * Will it continue for ever or come to an end? * What is the fate of all the planets and stars that it contains? * Will the universe undergo a 'heat death' that nothing can survive? * And what is the...
Chopin in the hands of others
Composers and their compositions are prey to all manner of treatment once they have become public property. Taking Chopin as a particular example, this lecture explores the role of published editions and performance practice from Godowsky to the J...
Here's looking at Euclid
It is often argued that mathematics as we know it today originated in Greece, and names such as Pythagoras, Euclid and Archimedes are certainly part of our culture. But Archimedes did much more than run naked through the streets shouting Eureka! S...
The old Constitution under strain
The years since 1997 have seen very radical constitutional reforms - for exampledevolution freedom of information legislationthe Human Rights Act. Why has this been so and what are likely to be the effects of the reforms?
Coffee Shop Society in 17th century London
Dr Stephen Inwood lectures at New York University in London. His books include A History of London and The Man Who Knew Too Much: The Inventive Life of Robert Hooke 1635 - 1703.Coffee shops were the intellectual hub of Stuart and Hanoveria...
What the universe is made of
Three simple principles enable us to understand the whole range of structures that we see in the universe. 1. We will consider the importance of 'size' in determining what can happen to a piece of matter in the universe and whether it can come ali...
Are we all deluded now?
The nature of belief and how we lost contact with reality Modern psychiatry has defined delusion as the insistent belief in the palpably untrue - this definition is essential to the whole mental health industry as it underpins our notion of what i...
Religion and the scientific world view
Is there a 'scientific world view'? At what points might such a thing have implications for religious believing?
The Musical and Cultural Background to the Second Viennese School
The musical and cultural background to the Second Viennese School: * Berg - Piano Sonata Op 1 * Webern - Two Pieces for Cello and Piano * Berg - Seven Early Songs * Webern- Four Pieces Op 7 for Violin and Piano * Schoenberg- Verklaerte Nacht for P...
Disease and Death in Late Stuart London
A specialist in British and European History, Maureen Waller's books includeUngrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father's Crown and1700: Scenes from London Life.
The History of the Big Bang
What is the Big Bang, who came up with idea and why do we believe in it? Simon Singh told the story of the Big Bang theory, from its birth in the 1920s to the observational evidence that backed it and then clinched it. As well as discovering the d...
The Jacobean Space Programme - Wings, springs and gunpowder: flying to the moon from 17th century England
An expert in the history of science, Allan Chapman is a past Visiting Gresham Professor and has appeared in numerous television programmes. His books include Gods in the Sky: Astronomy from the Ancients to the Enlightenment and The Victorian Amate...
When currency empires fall
Throughout financial history, there has been a tendency for one currency standard to dominate the world. * What will bring about the end of the dollar's current hegemony in finance? * What will the consequences be for the US and the rest of the wo...
Stress, anxiety and depression (SAD)
These are powerful forces for promoting positive adaptive behavioural changes which have important survival benefits and cannot be ignored. However, when change is not an option they become self-destructive, reducing quality of life and social coh...
Keep taking the tablets
Many thousands of surviving mathematical clay tablets provide much information about Mesopotamian mathematics - but what mathematics did they do, and why is it relevant to us today? In contrast, although the Egyptian pyramids provide us with an im...
London 1616: a snapshot of London early in James 1's reign
This talk was given by Dr Ann Saunders, a leading London historian. Publications include John Bacon RA and Regent's Park. Dr Saunders is Honorary Editor to the London Topographical Society.
Confronting the terrorist mind: explaining the repeated failure of intelligence
Modern police forces and governments frequently claim victories in the war against terrorism when a bomb plot is supposedly averted. But this belies a mistaken belief that terrorism is aimed at killing or mutilating indiscriminately. Actually the ...
How should International Financial Service Companies be Regulated?
The Sir Thomas Gresham City LectureIntroduction by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood KT FBA PRSE, Provost of Gresham CollegeChairman: Professor Avinash PersaudLecture delivered by Callum McCarthy, Chairman, The Financial Services Author...
Hawaiian Religion and Dance
Chinky Mahoe is one of Hawaii's leading 'Kumu' or 'sources' (teacher, leader) in dance, music and culture. Discussions on his perspectives on religious faith and Hawaiian culture, with particular reference to relations between Christianity and Haw...
Deconstructing Figaro
Ian Page takes us through the opening act of Pierre Beaumarchais' The Marriage of Figaro and explores the character of 'Figaro'.
Better programming
This series of Geometry Lectures looked at all aspects of computer science, from how it works, how we can teach it better, what the exciting issues are, and what the future research questions should be. We've explored some very exciting areas, and...
Beyond difference
Indian philosopher Professor Arindam Chakrabarti and Gwen Griffith-Dickson in creative dialogue, jumping across differences in religion, culture, philosophical upbringing, race, gender...
A Conversation with Professor Vernon Bogdanor
Richard Suskind continues his conversations with some of the greatest legak minds in the country. This lecture he meets his successor as Greshma Professor of Law, and they talk about recent developments in law like the Freedom of Information Act, ...
A Conversation with Lord Falconer
Gresham Professor of law, Richard Susskind welcomes some of the finest legal minds to Barnards Inn Hall for an intimate discussionon a wide variety of topics. Each lecture is a unique insight into the mechanincs and philosophy that run underneath...
Turning back the hands of time: ageing gracefully!
In this lecture I will outline some of the explanations of why we age, what effects the ageing process has on our mental and physical functions and where we might find some solutions to either ageing less perceptibly or with increased grace!
The Pope's divisions
Gresham Professor of Music Adrian Thomas explores the relationship between music and religion in Eastern Europe between the late 1940's and today.
Biological clocks: Human and animal concepts of time
Professor Keith Kendrick dicusses the relationship between human and animal biological clocks.
What is a black hole?
The history of the black hole from the eighteenth century onwards. What is a black hole? Is it a solid body? Why black holes are the simplest objects in the universe. Black holes are black bodies: they obey the laws of aerodynamics. Do black holes...
The cultural politics of war, peace and sacrifice
Professor Adrian Thomas looks into how the culture of a society can influence its politics.
Medicine in London, 1600 to 1900 - Dr William Harvey and the seventeenth-century medical revolution
To sleep, perchance to dream: Why do we and other animals sleep?
Sleep seems to be a universal imperative for all animal species, a fact that has been accepted by mankind for two and a half thousand years!
Can we understand one another?
Whether in academic writing or broadsheet journalism, we tend to see two different stances taken on the question of multicultural or multifaith understanding. One is the universalist tendency, that says that people are the same all over the world,...
Mathematics in the Metropolis: A survey of Victorian London
The Victorian period was a time of massive change for London, not least in the development and availability for university-level mathematics. This talk investigates the changes that took place, highlighting some of the famous mathematicians involv...
The American Revolution 1763 - 1783: Separation and Divorce
How, in the few years from 1763 to 1775, did many American colonists go from feeling themselves to be free-born Englishmen to declaring independence? Why did the Americans win?
The Nature of Financial Risk
Innovations in the financial world have led to the slicing up, repackaging and selling of risks. Does this spread risks better, or just move then around? When companies go bust, it is not the bankers who suffer, but the pensioners. Is this a bette...
Is everything that happens God
A panel discussion of representatives from different faiths will tease out the implications of tragic events for God's goodness and God's power.
Seadogs, Religion and Wars
An overview of the early history of colonial North America: from French Canada to Spanish Florida, and everything in between.
'The Poor are always with you': A sideways view of London
Part of the Mondays at One lecture series, 'London: A Nation not a City' - Four Contemporary Views of London.
The forgotten Englishman in Carmen
A re-evaluation of a pantomine scene printed in the first vocal score but later dropped. New material has revealed its subject: a comic scene which parodies various characteristics typical of an ageing Englishman. A recording of the scene will be ...
Docklands: The extension of London's financial centre
Part of the Mondays at One lecture series, 'London: A Nation not a City' - Four Contemporary Views of London.
The Life and Times of Wilfred Owen
The Great War' shaped the 20th century, led directly to the Second World War, and continues to fascinate and intrigue successive generations.But why did so much poetry derive from it, unlike successive conflicts? This talk, aimed at students o...
The Square Mile: The City's historic position within London government and its influence on the modern state of the capital
Part of the Mondays at One lecture series, 'London: A Nation not a City' - Four Contemporary Views of London.
The Multidisiplinary Nature of Creativity
Professor Dimitrios A Sotiropoulis, University of Texas
Greater London is...
Part of the Mondays at One lecture series, 'London: A Nation not a City' - Four Contemporary Views of London.
Magic Pictures
Professor Harold Thimbleby looks at the way images can be distorted or altered by the way our brain interprets them.
Why is the Universe so big?
Professor John D Barrow asks the age-old question: "Why is the universe so big?"
Math Circle: Tiling a Patio
The infinite shows up everywhere: not just in the counting numbers and the riddle of the primes, but in plane and geometric shapes not to mention figures in higher dimensions. Robert and Ellen Kaplan unlock the daunting mysteries of maths, showing...
Talking with Beasts: Human and animal languages
The development of language could be conveniently postulated as being responsible for driving both our significant increase in brain size (three times larger than that of our nearest current relatives the chimpanzees and bonobos) and with it all t...
Finishing the Unfinished: Completing Mozart
In November 2003, at the newly restored Hackney Empire, the Classical Opera Company presented the world premiere of its new completed version of Mozart's unfinished opera Zaide.In this seminar, the company's conductor and artistic director, Ia...
Did the universe have a beginning?
If not, how has it gone through one infinity of years and another of days? What prevented it from beginning sooner? If it had a sufficient cause, how could that cause delay its effect?
Your questions answered... and your answers questioned! Part 2
Professor Frank Close attempts to answer your questions on everything cosmic from whether time travel is possible in the future? to simply asking what is time itself?
Your questions answered... and your answers questioned! Part 1
Professor Frank Close attempts to answer your questions on everything cosmic from whether time travel is possible in the future? to simply asking what is time itself?
Design by Symmetry
Symmetric things are often more attractive. Symmetry is also a geometric idea: things may have reflection symmetry or rotational symmetry, and so on. What better way to end this series of Geometry lectures on design than by showing how the design ...
Socially Responsible Investment
Will the growth of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) support capital flows to emerging markets or hinder them?
"Knowing you, knowing me": can other animals have an identity crisis?
Success in achieving a true sense of identity of self in relation to the world might engender feelings of individual worth and purpose in humans but is this true of other species? Establishing that other species have self-awareness has proved a di...
Essential Skills for the workplace
Mr Chris Humphries CBE is the Director General of the City and Guilds Institute.This lecture is a part of the 'Job changes in the 21st century' series. This series of lectures will look at major changes likely to take place in the workplace in...
Designing Anything: From Lego to Maths
Inside every complex gadget is a programming language. How are programming languages designed, and how should they be designed? What are the common design problems? A look at a range of programming languages: the language of Lego, the extraordinar...
Managing a 21st Century Career
Julie Hope is from the Career Resource Centre at City University Business School.This lecture is a part of the 'Job changes for the 21st century' series. This series of lectures will look at major changes likely to take place in the workplace ...
Divine Knowledge and Human Freedom
Not only are the conceptions of divine knowledge and wisdom diverse; they have a wide ranging impact on how we view humanity, especially human freedom in relation to our future. If God knows in advance what I will do, does that mean that I am no l...
How far can technology go in the workplace?
John C Carrington is the Deputy Master of The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. This lecture is a part of the 'Job changes in the 21st century' series. This series of lectures will look at major changes likely to take place in the w...
A single global financial market
In the end, will there be a single global financial market? Where will it be, who will regulate it and what will be the wider consequences for investment, capital flows and economic growth?
"Getting to know you": how do animals recognise each other and us?
For social animals one of the major skills that must be learned is how to recognise important individuals in their social environment. An examination of the capacities for different species to recognise each other by scent, sound or sight, with fo...
Designing for Humans
Previous lectures looked at the inside of gadgets, but this is less than half the story. When we use complex systems we often fall into traps; we acquire beliefs about what is achievable and act on them. Often we don't know we have these beliefs...
Divine Power
If a divine being exists, is it all-powerful? Does this mean it can do everything? We will explore differing conceptions of power within as well as across religions.
A Conversation with Lady Justice Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
Richard Susskind welcomes Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and, until 2004, was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquests into the deaths of D...
What about the children?
A look at initiatives to develop the art music and performance of the next generation. A discussion on the work of the Society for the Promotion of New Music (spnm) will be followed by live performance by school groups participating in CHAMBER MUS...
Concert: The Schubert Ensemble of London
The Schubert Ensemble is known for classic piano/string and modern British works, the latter a repertoire that the Ensemble has done much to create through commission-ing in its distinguished history. The Ensemble pioneered the unique project CHAM...
The Concert of the Future
In his book Art Matters, John Tusa has outlined a go-ahead vision of the future concert, enlivened by video and other attributes of the entertainment world. This session will explore this and other models of our concert-hall future if it has a fut...
Animal senses: how do they perceive the world and what important things can they sense that we cannot?
The way the world is perceived by any species is dependent upon how sense organs and the nervous system interpret cues. The same world can appear very differently to other species. We will consider how the world is experienced by other animal spec...
Does God 'Act'?
Does God act in our world or is that too anthropo-morphic and simplistic an idea? Is the deepest reality something that acts and intervenes in human affairs?
Re-engineering EMU
The Maastricht convergence criteria and the Growth and Stability Pack were designed to win the support of Germany for European Monetary Union. Now EMU has arrived, these institutions are an obstacle to its success. How should they be reformed and ...
Science Fiction or Science Fact?
Some of the ideas coming from modern science sound more like science fiction than science fact. This talk will present some examples and discuss which are more or less likely to be true.
The First Three Minutes
How did the matter in the universe first emerge? And why does it have the form that it does? This talk will describe some of the fortunate circumstances that have enabled life to emerge.
'Creator' (or not?)
The three great Semitic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - all maintain that God created the universe. The great Indic religions, which hold a more ambivalent view of the material world, take a different stance on the relationship betwe...
Is having a good parent more important than having good genes?
Is having a good parent more important than having good genes? Raising offspring is normally far more demanding than producing them. We will examine factors that control parental behaviours in animals and how parents can have profound influences o...
The folly of Value-at-Risk
The spread of the Value-At-Risk approach to risk management to banks, fund managers and insurance companies is creating financial risk.
Designing Mobile Phones
Pressing buttons on a mobile phone chooses various functions, as if the phone's functions are controlled by a code. Mobile phones are difficult to use almost entirely because their code is difficult to use. We can design a new code systematically,...
Is there a continuous self? Buddhism and its Indian opponents
Are the Indian views incomparable with Western ones? Can we aspire to recognise that the only true self is very different from anything we supposed?Professor Sorabji will discuss these issues with Dr Ram Prasad, University of Lancaster.
Attitudes to Ageing: Prevention
This event was a part of the Attitudes to Ageing lecture series.
A Conversation with Lord Goldsmith
Professor Richard Susskind, Gresham Professor of Law, welcomes Britain's top lawyers, judges and politicians into Barnards Inn Hall. Together they examine the current legal climate, the future of the legal profession and the unique insights they h...
Thomas Hirst (1887): Ah, why was Newton ever born?
Thomas Hirst (1830-1892) recounts the period of mathematical history through which he lived.
Edmond Halley (1727): On the Shoulders of Giants
Edmond Halley presents a lecture about his friend, Sir Isaac Newton.This is a part of the 1,000 Years of Mathematics Study day. Other lectures include...
Attitudes to Ageing: Housing
This event was a part of the Attitudes to Ageing lecture series.
1302 and All That: Papal Bulldozers through Seven Centuries
The Bull Unam Sanctam, issued on 18 November 1302 by Boniface VIII, subjected temporal to spiritual power and declared the Pope's authority over the world. Leo XIII, who died one hundred years ago, issued the Bull Apostolicae Curae (13 September 1...
Where have all the financial risks gone?
Banks have repackaged and sold on their risks - who has them now? Who will be the victims of the next financial crisis?
Just War: Ancient influence on Islam and on the Spanish Conquistadors
The study of justice in war is ancient in India, Judaism, Greece, Rome, Christianity and Islam, and it is important to bear those traditions in mind at the present time. Tracing the influence of Genesis, of Aristotle, the Stoics, Cicero and the Ro...
The Concert of the Present
Today's festival director has gone from administrator to creator; impresarii are as involved as their artistes in developing individual events. A leading festival director will discuss what is wrong, and what is right, with the modern concert prem...
Attitudes to Ageing: Health
This event was a part of the Attitudes to Ageing lecture series.
Sexual conflict and the emergence of sexual equality and monogamy
In many species that have adopted promiscuous repro-ductive strategies, competition between male and female to promote specific genes has led to remarkable adaptive processes with each sex battling to gain ascendancy. To what extent have such conf...
Supreme Being or Beyond Being?
The second most crucial - and divisive - question across faiths is whether divinity is a personal entity or an impersonal reality. Is God a personal reality with whom we can form a relationship? Or is ultimate reality something which transcends th...
The Concert of the Past
This talk addresses the related question of what constitutes a work's identity. Does music reside within score or performance - in its body or its soul? If in the score, as modern 'authenticity' traditions suggest, is interpretation defunct? It is...
Music or The Vocabulary of Music
This year's keynote talk explores the distinction between music itself and its surface vocabulary. Is there such a thing as music? Are some musical styles more, and some less, substantial? If so, is contemporary music any more than an amalgam of s...
Designing Microwave Cookers
Children can use gadgets faster than adults. What does this say about the design of gadgets? This lecture looks at microwave cookers. Instead of children helping us design better gadgets, we could use animal testings, perhaps monkeys pressing butt...
Four Colours Suffice?
How many colours are needed to colour a map so that neighbouring countries are coloured differently? At first it seems that for very complicated maps, many colours are needed, but surprisingly four colours suffice for all maps - a fact that took o...
Maps, Maidens and Molecules
How many colours are needed to colour a map? What was the 15 schoolgirl's problem? How many alcohols and paraffins are there? This talk visits the fascinating world of Victorian mathematics and the contributions to it by eccentric lawyers, academi...
The Computer Science of Everyday Things
Moore's Law predicts substantial, sustained improvement in computing power. Yet while the technology gets better and better, the usability of 'everyday things' is low (video recorders being a notorious example). Obsolescence, a symptom of Moore's ...
HERA - Queen of the Electron Microscopes
Are quarks the ultimate seeds of matter or is there a deeper layer of the Cosmic Onion? If there is, HERA, the most powerful electron microscope in the world, may be the first to know.
Hormones, sex and animal passion: making pleasure out of necessity?
This lecture will consider different patterns of male and female sexual behaviours, how hormones act to control them, and how and why the rigid link between sex and reproduction has been relaxed during evolution to include maintenance of social re...
Neutrinos in the Snow
Neutrinos from the sun and the galaxy are being detected under the ice of Antartica and at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) in Canada. For the first time we know how the sun shines.
The Particle Odyssey: Visions of the subatomic world
This talk will show some of the visual beauty revealed by particles - a world remote from our immediate senses but one that is real and visible.
'In All Things' or 'Beyond All Things'
This lecture will explore the diversity of traditions about God or ultimate reality. Is the Deity one with, or present in, the universe - or beyond all, transcendent, 'Wholly Other'?
Music of Today: Looking Under The Bonnet
This illustrated lecture extends a theme of last year's series, that the severity of European modernism is just one strand in modern music, a diversity of which audiences tend to be unaware. This talk strips off the surface labels and seeks less s...
Bright Sparks of the Universe
Bryson Gore has made the demonstrations for the Royal Institution Christmas lectures for many years. This talk makes electrons visible, recreating the events that led to their discovery and showing some of the bizarre things that they can do.
Designing gadgets
Why were video recorders so difficult to use? Is there any hope for new gadgets like DVD players? What can we do about gadget complexity, and what can be learnt by approaching the design of gadgets mathematically? This lecture will show how video ...
When was the idea of human rights invented, and do we need it?
Were the inventors the ancient Stoics, the Roman lawyers, the 17th century Dutch, the authors of the American Revolution? Can there be universal justice without such an idea, and what does it add?
Inside Story
In this lecture Professor Hellawell introduces his own work Inside Story, premiered at the 1999 Proms to wide acclaim. The composer gives a background talk to the shape of the work, which pairs violin and viola solists with orchestra in the manner...
Antihydrogen - First Element of the Antiuniverse
We continue the anitmatter theme: Antimatter would be a wonder fuel, but for the fact that the universe appears to be lacking in antimatter reserves. The first steps are being taken this year at CERN to make thousands of atoms of antihydrogen ever...
Hooke as Speculative Philosopher
The four lectures (Hooke as Speculative Philosopher, Hooke's Life, Diary and Medicine Taking; Hooke as Employee; Hooke as a Designer, Maker and User of Intruments) will be expanded and published by Oxford University Press early in 2003 as "London'...
Hooke as Designer, Maker and User of Instruments
Dr Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford.
Hooke as Employee
Michael Cooper, Emeritus Professor of Engineering Surveying, City University.
Why do we live in three dimensions - or do we?
We are aware of 3D space and the fourth dimension of time. But why is it like this? Why would one or two not have been enough? Why not more? Experiments at CERN will seriously be looking for evidence of a fifth dimension. Science fiction or scienc...
Computer Viruses
Every so often there is a panic when computers succumb to viruses. The theory behind viruses is rather fun, and shows how bugs can disappear and become impossible to find. In principle it's possible to construct viruses that cannot be detected; eq...
Governance and management in the not-for-profit sector
The stakeholders are clearly different and require different prioritisation, but is governance any different in the not-for-profit sector? How can boards and their individual members (or their equivalent) in the not-for-profit sector better discha...
Could we destroy the Universe?
It is 70 years since the birth of particle accelerators. This talk shows how they have been used and become ever more powerful. As we step into unknown territory with the new accelerators in the USA and at CERN, some media have suggested that the ...
Neutrinos - Ghost Particles of the Universe
As you read this, millions of neutrinos are passing through you, unseen (and harmless!). Produced in the Sun and stars, they corkscrew through space at hear to the speed of light. They may hold the answer to some of the mysteries of Creation and t...
The Forces of Nature
Four fundamental forces rule the universe: gravity, the electromagnetic force and then two that act in and around the atomic nucleus, known as strong and weak. The latter pair act over distances smaller than atoms and so are less familiar to our m...
Euler
Euler, 'the Mozart of mathematics', was probably the most prolific mathematician of all time, having contributed to many areas, both theoretical and practical, both serious and recreational - yet he remains largely unknown except to mathematicians...
Modern Crytography
Computers need not just automate what is already being done, but can do completely new things. In the 1970s a new form of cryptography was invented, which is usually presented as an esoteric application of number theory. This new cryptography is a...
A Conversation with The Rt Hon Lord Justice Auld, Lord Justice of Appeal and Chairman of Criminal Courts Review
Professor Susskind and The Rt Hon Lord Justice Auld discuss reform of the criminal courts and the criminal justice system (including the role of juries and magistrates) and outline the work of the Court of Appeal. They draw comparisons between the...
Conventional Cryptography
Keeping secrets is one of the earliest inventions of civilisation, and has become the science of cryptography. The World War II Enigma machine was just lots of scrambling, done in ways that could be understood in principle by a school child though...
Technology, treasurers and financial markets in the 21st century
Technology is changing everything. How will it affect financial markets, exchange and over the counter banking and other financial services in the future? Will exchanges be no more than cheap, commoditised high volume transaction engines? How will...
Regulating human genetics
The Human Genetics Commission was set up in order to advise the government on how current and prospective developments in human genetics should be regulated in the broader social and political interest. For instance, should insurance companies or ...
From 'Self' and 'Other' to 'We'
One of the deepest questions hidden in the question of inter-faith study and inter-faith dialogue is the notion of the Self and of the Other. Different pictures of selfhood are given in different philosophical and religious systems. But arguably t...
Newton
Most people know the story of Newton and the apple, but why was it so important? What sort of person was Newton? What was his major work Principia Mathematica about, what difficulties did it raise, and how were they resolved? Was Newton really the...
Future Computers
Today's computers don't understand us. In the future we will wear them and they will be inside us, as implants - so we had better get them sorted out while we have a chance. This lecture looks at how common problems with today's computers may be s...
Business communications in the age of spin
How have business communications, internal and external, changed over the years and how will they change in the 21st century? What has been the impact of technology? How important are effective staff communications? Does concern and activity on th...
Euclid
Euclid's Elements has been the best-selling mathematics book of all time, being used continuously for over 2000 years. Who was Euclid, and why did his writings have such influence? What does the Elements contain, and why did it create so much cont...
A Conversation with David Pannick QC
Professor Richard Susskind and David Pannick QC discuss the impact of human rights legislation in the UK, offering a unique look behind the scenes of specific cases. Their conversation covers freedom of expression, fair hearings, privacy, rights o...
21st Century: Tuberculosis
Dr John Watson, Director of the Public Health Laboratory's TB Programme for the UK
The truth is in between
How do we know that what we believe is true? This question is made more difficult whenever we find someone of good faith who disagrees with us. Can all religions be telling the truth? One of the most important issues in inter-faith reflection is t...
Business relationships - do they count anymore?
What duty do companies owe to their employees and vice versa? Is the current mobility of City executives, alone or in teams, good for the City or an unfortunate consequence of today's professional employment markets? What sort of relationship shou...
19th Century: Cholera
Professor Bohumil Drassar, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Author of Cholera in the Wellcome History of Tropical Diseases.
A Conversation with The Rt Hon the Lord Woolf of Barnes, The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Professor Richard Susskind and The Rt Hon Lord Woolf of Barnes discuss the Access to Justice Inquiry and reforms to the civil justice system; the structure of the court system; the process of judging; modernisation of the Judiciary; major challeng...
17th Century: Plague
Stephen Porter, Assistant Editor, Survey of London Section, English Heritage. Author of The Great Plague.
City and business ethics - declining or improving?
Is the City a more honest place than it was forty years ago? Is my word still my bond? Has prescriptive regulation improved matters? Are victimless business offences really reprehensible? Have professional bodies made any contribution? How have bu...
Thou shalt not kill - not even animals?
Animals are different from humans, but there is no one difference and only some differences are morally relevant. Too many moral theories say "only one thing is relevant to how we treat others" and affirm that animals meet, or fail to meet, the re...
Abdullah Ibrahim in conversation with Peter Conway
Professor Abdullah Ibrahim, Visiting Gresham Professor of Music, talks to Peter Conway, arts administrator and journalist, about his return to South Africa and his role in establishing a new music academy for young black students.
Recent Law Reforms and IT
Professor Richard Susskind explains how the UK courts and the process of law has been influenced by the emergence of Information Technology. How has it been used to reform the current system of law in the UK?
The Heart of the Matter
We take a voyage into matter and back to the start of time to see how the basic pieces were created, how they have been cooked in stars to make elements of life and how critical their separate identities have been to enavble is to be here some 12 ...
The Finance Director and the Treasurer
What is the true role of the Finance Director/Chief Financial Officer - chief beancounter, chief administrative officer, corporate financier, conscience of the organisation, head of regulation and compliance, main contact with investors and the Ci...
Its Done with Mirrors
Why do mirros reverse left and right and not up and down (or do they!)? Why is mirror Asymmetry so important for life? Any why do some atomic processes seem to distinguish left from right? In this lecture Professor Close explores symmetry and asym...
Financial Institutions, Regulation and Compliance
Do financial institutions require special forms of governance, having regard to their risk, complexity, and regulatory and compliance structures? How well has existing governance worked, and what governance lessons have been learned from recent co...
The Non Executive Director
What is the proper function of a NED? Is there a distinction between an 'independent' and 'non-independent' NED? How can an appointee of a major shareholder or special interest remain independent, and should he/she? How much should a NED get invol...
Governance: The Board
By what measure should a Board judge its own performance, and what should it do if found wanting? Is there an optimum size and balance, and is there a size beyond which it is very difficult or impossible to manage? What is the responsibility of of...
A Giant Leap
A time machine has been at work at CERN Geneva for the last ten years. This month it made its final experiments. In this lecture, we travel to the first split second after the Big Bang at the start of the universe and see how matter was born.
Governance and the City
Is City governance effective and how ought it to be reformed? Does it represent a competative advantage or a competative burden? The relevant importance and future roles of the Lord Mayor, the City Corporation, the Financial Services Authority, th...
Banking Today
There is a pervasive idea in the world outside banks that banking and financial services should really be a riskless business, providing riskless products. In this lecture, Sir Peter Middleton explores how modern banks promote themselves as 'safe ...
Livery Companies: A Retrospective
Speaking as part of a series on 'City Institutions', George Webber looks back on the rich and colourful history of London's livery companies.
Thomas Gresham's Archbishop: Archbishop
The Reverend Professor Richard Chartres concludes his history of Archbishop Matthew Parker.The other lectures in this series are:Early Life and Education...
Thomas Gresham's Archbishop: Crisis
Archbishop Matthew Parker lived through the most tumultuous decades of the sixteenth century for the Anglican Church, beset by forces that gave the modern Church much of its recognisable shape.
Thomas Gresham's Archbishop: Early Life and Education
Matthew Parker (1504-1575) was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be chosen by Queen Elizabeth I and was a contemporary of Sir Thomas Gresham. The Reverend Professor Chartres considers the early life of a man who spanned a vital and seminal per...
Science and Theology: Traffic Across the Frontier
Both science and theology explore aspects of one world: they complement rather than contradict each other. The Revd Dr John Polkinghorne explores the possibility of fruitful relationships between the two.This is the 1991 Gresham Special Lecture.
Personal Responsibility and Health
What can we do as individuals to be better custodians of our own health? Professor Stuart locates preventative action in four main modifications to our lifestyles: smoking, alcohol, diet and exercise.
The Social Challenge of Medical Advance
Professor Stuart argues for a harmonious relationship between medical advance and its integration into the daily practices of everyday life. The health of a society and of science itself must ultimately depend on non-scientific values. This can on...
Health Perspectives for the Nineties
Over the course of the twentieth century, international thrusts towards better healthcare have tended towards adaptations rather than revisions of existing models. As a result, the same inequalities in distribution and access persist. Looking ahea...
Medical Advance: Its Global Challenge
The relationship between the universal nature of medical problems and the infinite variety of social groups offering solutions to them creates one of the most persistent legal and ethical dilemmas facing medicine today. How can we better facilitat...
Better Late Than Never: Late Development in Education
In some ways, Britain is very much like a 'developing' country in the way its education system wastes a lot of its talent at age 16, by not providing adequate opportunities for development past this point. Professor Rae considers the effects of th...
The Community and Medical Advance
The human impact of any given medical advance must be fully integrated with relevant social conditions. How might this be achieved?
What is the role of the independent schools in British education?
In the wake of the Education Reform Act the private sector has a golden opportunity to play a positive part in the overall future of education in this country. Or does it? Private schools know about financial management and are equally well versed...
Healing and the Spirit: Medicine and the Church
As Rector of St Marylebone, The Reverend Christopher Hamel Cooke established the innovative Healing and Counselling Centre in the church's crypt. In this lecture he reviews the important work of the Centre and considers possibilities for collabora...
Healing and the Spirit: Holistic Biology
Dr Roger Taylor explains how, as a scientist, he walks a tightrope between reductionism and holism. What is the place of complementary or homeopathic healing in medical science?
Business, Ethics and the Law
This series of lectures included the following talks:Is it enough to be legal?7th March 1990Business and the Role of the Law14th March 1990...
Healing and the Spirit: Ancient Medicine
Do we suffer because of a 'compartmental' way of living? In this lecture, The Revd Professor Richard Chartres advocates a broader and multi-disciplinary approach to healing, based on the complementary healing styles of the Ancient World.
Part Two: 'A British view of Pan-European Banking and Currency' and 'The Philosophy of Regulation'
Part One: 'A New Financial Europe', 'Challenges for the International Stock Exchange' and 'Using Security Markets for International Investments'
The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: Ravages of Fanaticism
The Reverend Professor Richard Chartres continues to outline the history of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, in light of recent archaeological evidence and the Gresham Jerusalem photogrammetic survey. What impact did the arrival of Isl...
The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: Imperial Archaeology
In the fourth century AD, the first Christian Emperor, Constantine, gave his consent for excavation beneath the Temple of Aphrodite in Jerusalem. They were looking for the Tomb of Christ - but what did they find?The Reverend Professor Richard ...
The Turin Shroud - An Update
In October 1988, the Cardinal Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Balestero announced the results of scientific tests done to date the Turin Shroud: it was almost certainly created between 1260 and 1390.But is this use of science the end of the ...
Who is responsible for bringing up our children: home or school?
A hundred years ago it was almost unanimously accepted that parents should be the ones to 'bring up' their children, but this reposnsibility has been transferred in recent times to the school. Teachers are now required to cover certain 'cross-curr...
The Place of Competitions in the Personal and Musical Development of Young People
Do musical competitions necessarily have to be damaging? Can they be used in a responsible way, thereby presenting a creative challenge to young musicians? In this lecture, Professor Renshaw critically compares two competition models: the 'marketi...
How do we create good schools?
The best laid plans of a government come to nothing if the schools themselves are not 'good' enough to deliver their policies. But what constitutes the difference between a good and a bad school?This lecture is part of Professor Rae's series, ...
London Churches under the First Elizabeth
Richard Chartres considers the most important religious figures and dilemmas to gain prominence during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The Religious Life of Sir Thomas Gresham
While not known or celebrated as a religious thinker, Thomas Gresham lived through a turbulent period in the history of the Church of England. How does his career reflect or illuminate the religious contradictions and difficulties of that time?
The Decline of Socialism
The worldwide decline of socialism has been more total and pervasive than that of liberalism. A dominant system of politics and economics has been abandoned - because it has failed. What are the repercussions of this decline, on the first world an...
How should we organise the school system?
The aim of the British school system should be to produce a well-educated population and not a well-educated elite. How might the Education Reform Act of 1988 impact on our ability to realise this objective?
Introduction to Catastrophe Theory and its Application to Physics and Sociology
Professor Zeeman is one of the foremost scholars in the field of 'catastrophe theory'. In this introduction to the subject, he considers how the theory might relate to matters as diverse as electromagnetism, the 'fight or flight' mechanism and ani...
What should we teach the children?
The National Curriculum is the single most important reform to British education. In this lecture, Professor Rae explains why the central government should be deciding what is taught in schools and outlines his own ideal curriculum.This lectur...
The Armenians: Church and Culture
Professor Chartres offers an overview of the history and culture of the Armenian nation, including the genocide of 1915.
The Russian Millennium: The Morning After
In June 1988, the Russian Orthdox Church celebrated the millennium of the Christianisation of Russia and the baptism of St Vladimir. In this lecture, Richard Chartres explores the significance of St Vladimir, a figure considered equal to the apost...
Gyroscopes and Boomerangs
Professor Zeeman guides us through the geometry and the mechanics of spinning objects.
Do the British know what education is for?
What should the aims of education be? Does Britain have a clear idea of what its education system is trying to do?This lecture is part of Professor Rae's series, 'The Education Reform Act 1988 in its Historical and International Context'. The ...
Does a high-tech building have to look like a carbuncle?
In 1984, Prince Charles described Richard Rogers' proposed extension to London's National Gallery as a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend". The term has since been used by many critics to condemn the perceived "ugl...
Where did the war-time dream go wrong?
In 1944, the Butler Act introduced the 'Tripartite System' to schools in England and Wales and made secondary education free for all pupils. But what promises did this Act leave unfulfilled?This lecture is part of Professor Rae's series, 'The ...
Gambling Fever: The Mirage of Sudden Riches
Gambling is an activity as old as human social life itself, sometimes carried out alone but, more often than not, by crowds or whole nations. Lottery systems have historically been used as a means of allowing 'Fate' to decide upon the distribution...
Miracle Cures: Spas, Shrines and Spirits
Professor John Pick outlines an 'industry' of relics, religious or otherwise, and the influence of these objects on mass behaviour and belief.This lecture is part of Professor Pick's series, Rumour, Disease and the Madness of Crowds. The other...
Money Mania: The South Sea Bubble
At the beginning of 1720, almost the whole of England thought that investing money in the South Sea Company was an admirable idea; by the end of 1720, they were equally convinced that the company was made up of nothing but rogues and vagabonds. Wh...
God Speaks First to His Englishmen: The Armada of 1588
Was English success against the Spanish Armada an instance of divine 'deliverance'? Reverend Professor Richard Chartres examines the evidence.
Victorian Values: Lecture Three
In his final lecture on nineteenth-century values, Richard Chartres looks at Archbishop Benson, who stood in great contrast to his predecessors. He was apathetic towards both sport and politics, uncomfortable speaking to laypeople and intolerant o...
Victorian Values: Lecture Two
The subject of Richard Chartres' second lecture on Victorian morality is Archibald Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury between 1868 and 1882. Tait was a champion of tolerance and demonstrated great faith and optimism towards the times he lived in. Was ...
1888: Jack the Ripper
What were the rumours surrounding the grisly murders of 1888 and how do they compare to the rumours attached to later serial killers? This lecture is part of Professor Pick's series, Rumour, Disease and the Madness of Crowds.
Victorian Values: Lecture One
The Revd Professor Richard Chartres begins his series on Victorian morality by considering Charles Thomas Longley (1794-1868), perhaps the most critically neglected Archbishop of Canterbury of the nineteenth-century.
1848: The Chartists' Revolution in London
Pollsters and percentages have, to a degree, done away with that species of political rumour that precedes and predicts revolutions. Professor Pick outlines how this type of rumour operated in the context of a feared Chartist revolution in Victori...
1665: The Great Pestilence of London
By the end of 1664, talk of plague in Europe was beginning to spread throughout England. What rumours occurred and how did rumour operate before and during the time of the Great Plague in London? How did the Government attempt to silence the 'rumo...
Advances in Medicine and their Social Aspects
There have been far greater advances made in medicine over the last twenty years than in the past four centuries. What are the implications for society?
Popular and Unpopular Science
The popularisation of science has never been very popular - particularly amongst scientists, who equate it with a lowering of standards. Nevertheless, while pure and applied science have transformed the world we live in beyond recognition over the...
Recent Developments in the Legal Regulation of Deep Seabed Mining: Lecture Two
Much debate and dispute surrounds the exploration and exploitation of deep ocean polymetallic nodules. In the second of two lectures, Professor Kenneth Simmonds untangles the complicated political and legal issues of seabed mining.
Recent Developments in the Legal Regulation of Deep Seabed Mining: Lecture One
Much debate and dispute surrounds the exploration and exploitation of deep ocean polymetallic nodules. In the first of two lectures, Professor Kenneth Simmonds untangles the complicated political and legal issues of seabed mining.The second le...
The Religious Picture Today in the Soviet Union
Richard Chartres looks in detail at a number of contemporary developments concerning the Soviet Union's Council for Religious Affairs. He considers the resurgence of Islam in Central Asian republics, Baptist advances in the Ukraine, and the sense ...
Forty Years of the Health Service
Professor John Griffiths charts the history of the National Health Service and its precursors. What have been its major benefits and drawbacks? How might it improve?
Making Music Live in the Community
Peter Renshaw outlines the work of a project committed to integrating musical performance into the wider community. He explores how workshops within social institutions such as schools, hospitals and prisons might increase the accessibility and re...
Audience for Music in the Year 2000
Peter Renshaw looks ahead to musical performance in the 21st century, highlighting opprtunities for change: the physical context of a performance space, the social backgrounds of an audience and attitudes towards communicating knowledge.This i...
The Christian Church in the Soviet Period
Ever since the Revolution of 1917, Russia has considered atheism to be a precondition for social progress. Religion is dismissed as "an opiate for the people" (Marx) or as "moonshine" (Lenin). How has the Russian Orthodox Church, the main Christia...
The Russian Orthodox Church Before the Revolution
There are older Christian Churches existing within the Soviet Union, but none can compare with the Russian Orthodox Church in terms of its impact on Russian culture. Richard Chartres guides us through its long history, from the tenth-century to th...
Laughter and Television
The comedian today is in crisis. The ways of making us laugh have become fewer and blander, and there are less opportunities for comics to learn the tricks of the trade. Television, and the media more generally, should be uniting the nation in lau...
Stand-Up Comedy
Professor Pick traces the evolution of the modern stand-up comic, a figure that emerged out of the music halls and American vaudeville circuits at the end of the nineteenth-century.This lecture is part of Professor Pick's 'Comedy and Laughter'...
The Radio Comedians
What makes the British laugh? Professor Pick looks in detail at the role of comedy on BBC radio, particularly between the years of 1930 to 1950, arguing that comedians should be seen as some of the greatest artists of the twentieth-century.
Uranus' Eccentric Magnetic Field
Professor Hide explains what makes the planet's magnetic field so extraordinary.
Jupiter's Red Spot
Jupiter's Great Red Spot was first discovered in 1664 by former Gresham Professor Robert Hooke, but thanks to images captured by the Voyager space probe, it has attained a new popularity in the twentieth-century. Professor Hide outlines its import...
Pictorial Representation: The Twentieth Century
Professor Kilmister considers the impact of the advent of computers on graphical representation in mathematics.
Pictorial Representation: Nomography
Historically, how did people make calculations and solve equations without using a slide rule? Professor Kilmister considers in detail one possible method: the nomogram.
Pictorial Representation: The Slide Rule
What has been the role of pictorial representation in geometry? Is it now little more than a lost art? Professor Kilmister begins his series by examining the history and uses of the slide rule.
Alternative Medicine: Are Elizabethan Disciplines Relevant Today?
Professor Griffiths is joined by Dr Siân Griffiths and Robin Rusher, acupuncturist, to explore the links between Elizabethan medicine and contemporary alternative therapies.
Why Geometry?
The Professorship of Geometry established by Sir Thomas Gresham is the oldest Chair of mathematics in Britain, predating the Savilian Professorship at Oxford by 23 years and the Lucasian Chair at Cambridge by 67 years. What induced Thomas Gresham ...
The Japanese Market and Services
Simon Crow provides an overview of the Japanese service industry. Why should the Western financial sector bother with Japan and how might it do so?
Science Today and Science Then
Professor Hide compares contemporary science with science as it was at the time of the foundation of Gresham College in 1597.
The Japanese Political System
How can a country be democratic when it has been ruled without interruption by a conservative party for over thirty years? Is parliamentary democracy as practiced in Japan a mere façade for oligarchic rule by the Japanese establishment? Sir Hugh C...
Is Shakespeare Still Our Contemporary?
Professor Jan Kott, author of the highly influential study, Shakespeare Our Contemporary, explores the continued importance of the Bard in our lives. He considers the impact of twentieth-century theatre, including the works of Brecht and Beckett, ...
Japanese Management Practice in the UK
In this lecture, Dr Malcolm Trevor looks at Japanese companies in the UK in the light of quality control, and the problematic relations between local component manufacturers and the main Japanese assemblers they supply. What are the implications o...
The Rise and Fall of the Entrepreneur
The entrepreneur is an innovator, a promoter, often a risk-taker, someone with a desire to create and a willingness to take full responsibility for his or her actions. In this lecture, The Rt Hon The Lord Young of Graffham charts the changing role...
Adopting a 'Philosophical' Approach to Life
Determinist biology, collectivist psychology and relativist morality: these three ideologies summarise the unspoken assumptions and values that shape the people we are and the world we live in - but not for the better. In this lecture, Dr Jules Go...