The great philosophers, ancient and modern, have always been fascinated with the concept of a divine power, whether or not they actually believe God (or Gods) really exist.
Hagai will take us on a fascinating tour of Western thought - from ancient Greece to medieval and modern Europe and ending in contemporary Britain, including Islamic attempts to blend religion and philosophy and great Jewish voices like Maimonides and Spinoza - to get their perspectives on the God question. Can philosophy and belief ever really go hand-in-hand, or do you have to choose one or the other?
Topics covered:
1 - The Ancients: God and Gods in Ancient Greece, the birthplace of 'Western' Philosophy
2 - Maimonides and The Islamic Aristotelians: how Muslim and Jewish scholars blended religion and philosophy in the Golden Age
3 - Aquinas: 'Proving' God's existence in medieval Christianity
4 - Spinoza: The 'God Intoxicated' Jewish thinker 'excommunicated' from two religions
5 - Scepticism and Secularism: Nietzsche, Nihilism & the Death of God
6 - Is God A Delusion? Dawkins and the God debate today
Award-winning academic and internationally renowned consultant, commentator and keynote speaker Hagai M. Segal is a leading authority on geopolitical issues, strategic risk, the Middle East and counter-terrorism.