Thursday with philosophy | Freethinker — origins and main ideas

Freethinking: Origins and Main Ideas
During the November Thursday with philosophy, we invite you to travel to the English Enlightenment. The thinkers of this era, fundamentally opposed to dogma and bearing the slogans of rationalism on their banners, sought to redefine the relationship between human reason and faith. It was then that the attitude known as freethinking was born, which in later years took on a wide variety of forms. This intertwining of skepticism, religious rationalism, sometimes secularism and anti-clericalism was born at the beginning of the eighteenth century, among others, by John Toland and Anthony Collins, students of the great English philosopher — John Locke. However, it is worth remembering that their preaching slogans dictating freedom of thought — that is, the freedom of reasonable debate on all claims, including religious ones — did not always mean turning away from faith, but concealed a wide variety of attitudes towards religion. So while our tour guides will be Locke, Toland, and Collins, we will try to reflect on the rationale behind their positions, as well as reconstruct the philosophical meaning of the discussion of reason, faith, and human life among other people at the time.

Prof. Adam Grzeliński — works at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw University of Warsaw, Toruń. Professionally, he deals with the history of British philosophy and aesthetics (J. Locke. A.A.C. Shaftesbury, G. Berkeley, D. Hume, et al.), as part of the National Program for the Development of the Humanities, recently directed the project “British Philosophy of the 17th and 18th Centuries”. Author of several dissertations in this field, as well as translator and co-translator of about thirty volumes of philosophical works. Editor of the “Philosophical Movement”, passionate about cycling, originator of the series “Thursdays with philosophy” at the Artus Court.

The event is co-organized with the Institute of Philosophy of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
Free admission