The Sophia Lectures for 2023, given by the distinguished philosopher of religion, Professor Douglas Hedley of the University of Cambridge, are now available in full online.
Engaging with a wide array of sources—from Greek philosophy through Patristic and medieval theology, to Indian metaphysics and contemporary ludic studies—Professor Hedley explores over the course of five lectures the underlying philosophical dimensions of play in all of its forms. Is there a principle that unites the play of animals, the simple games of children, the intricacy of fine art, and the paraphernalia of professional athletics? And what connection obtains between the free play of the imagination and the divine act of creation? Professor Hedley takes up these questions, among many others, in conversation with immensely inspiring and thought-provoking figures such as Friedrich Schiller, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Johan Huizinga, and Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Ralston College is proud to make available the full series below. After an interview between Prof. Hedley and Dr Blackwood, the President of Ralston College, to introduce the lectures, there follows the full sequence of the Sophia Lectures and the Q&A they provoked:
If you prefer, these can be viewed on the Ralston College YouTube channel.
