The whole thing can be found here along with audio. A wellknown scientist some say it was bertrand russell once gave a public lecture on. For a complete account of the bertrand russell case at city college in 1940, see the chapter, how bertrand russell was prevented from teaching. This is an excerpt from the full broadcast from cassette tape a3035 open university course, problems of philosophy units 78. Russell and copleston debate introduction to philosophy. Frederick charles copleston was born 10 april 1907 near taunton, somerset, england. Reprinted in several sources, the following is from bertrand russell on god and religion edited by al seckel prometheus books. I have to say that, as a great admirer of russell, i thought his responses to copleston were not wholly satisfactory, particularly with respect to the following argument. The debate that took place has become one of the most famous moments in radio history. Historico debate entre bertrand russell y copleston subtitulado whether he was an agnostic or atheist is a question he had addressed before.
Russell s was a history of western philosophy, a huge commercial success and regularly recommended in where to beginthreads in rphilosophy. Copleston catholic priest and religious believer and bertrand russell philosopher and nonbeliever, broadcast in 1948 on the bbc. Jesuit priest frederick copleston and analytic philosopher bertrand russell each authored their own history of philosophy book. Also, they could be guaranteed to gravitate toward the jobs that required skills. Copleston which centred on the cosmological argument. Both philosophers are trying to use their intellect to win the argument. Usage public domain topics existence of god, bertrand, russell, frederick, copleston, theology, proof, christianity. Bertrand russell and frederick copleston discuss the socalled argument from contingency, a kind of cosmological argument for gods. Infinite regress cosmos ex nihilo a posteriori inductive you will need your text books to help you answer these first questions. Copleston, an oxford jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with a.
Transcript of the russellcopleston radio debate scandalon. Copleston jesuit catholic priest versus bertrand russell agnostic philosopher, picture right this debate was a third program broadcast of the british broadcasting corporation in 1948. Russell maintained that while he was technically agnostic on the existence of the judeochristian godjust as he was technically agnostic on the existence of the greek gods zeus and poseidonhe was. A debate on the argument from contingency father f. Here is the famous debate on the existence of god between frederick copleston and bertrand russell. Historico debate entre bertrand russell y frederick. The debate between copleston and russel would typify the arguments presented between theists and atheists in the later half of the 20th century, with russell s approach often used by atheists in the late 20th century. The central question they are debating here is whether it is meaningful to ask about the cause of a series.
Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for catholic seminary students, frederick copleston s ninevolume a history of philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in english. Undergraduate students studied the trivium grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Abstract, this admin june, 2019 june, 2019 no comments on debate bertrand russell copleston pdf. Bertrand russell why i am not a christian and other essays on religion and.
Bertrand russell and father frederick c copleston 1948. This is an excerpt from the famous bbc radio debate between father frederick c. A level religious studies anthology pearson qualifications. This extract is a transcript a writtendown version of a recording of a famous radio debate between the catholic priest and philosopher f. Bertrand arthur william russell 18721970 was a british. Copleston went on to debate religious language with his friend, the philosopher a. In 1948 there was a famous radio debate between fr frederick copleston sj and the agnostic philosopher bertrand russell. In the metaphysical part, which is presented here, copleston espouses. Bertrand russell is perhaps most widely known as a philosopher, but not in the peculiarly. Copleston in 1947 there was an interesting debate between bertrand russell and f. An image book published by doubleday a division of bantam doubleday dell publishing group, inc. In the first section, the argument from contingency, copleston argues that god must exist because the universe requires a necessary being to explain it, but russell argues that the universe is a brute. Copleston 1907 1994 was a jesuit priest who was professor of history of philosophy at heythrop college, london. For instance, when pressed by copleston as to the cause of the world and.
Copleston vs bertrand russell part 1 uploaded by riversonthemoon on jul 15, 2009 bbc radio third programme recording january 28, 1948. Make certain that there is a good attachment of the silicon seal to the existing cable. Copleston s was the influential 11 volume history of philosophy. Below is an excerpt from a debate between bertrad russell and father f. A task difficulty system allows the success or failure of a characters efforts to vary according to the situation. Whitehead was wellknown for his metaphysical defenses of belief in god. The famous 1948 bbc radio debate on the existence of god between fr. Copleston on publishing a report of their bbc debate. Russell s insistence on accuracy when using terms of modern logic might seem to be a refusal to even enter into a debate with copleston, but it does raise a valid point. An analysis of sanjuanist teaching and its philosophical implications for russell, bertrand, and copleston, frederick c. Well, in 1948 the bbc third programme brought together frederick copleston and bertrand russell to debate, live on radio, issues to do with the existence of god. I recently read a debate between the british historian of philosophy frederick copleston also a jesuit and the british philosopher bertrand russell. Which philosopher was copleston referring to in his debate.
Its my opinion that the perception of values and the consciousness of moral law and obligation are best explained through the hypothesis of a transcendent ground of value and of an author of the moral law. Bertrand arthur william russell, 3rd earl russell may 18, 1872 february 2, 1970 was a british philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social. So the official and the personal point of view combine to hold that private morality is no affair of the state or of the. The one eminent modern thinker that copleston refers to is alfred north whitehead, who coauthored with bertrand russell their monumental work on logic, principia mathematica, 3 vols. When copleston argues that god is a necessary being he implies that it is self. The coplestonrussell debate is an exchange concerning the existence of god between frederick copleston and bertrand russell in a 1948 bbc radio. I presume that we mean a supreme personal being distinct from the world. He was raised in the anglican faithhis uncle, reginald stephen copleston, was an anglican bishop of calcutta. Copleston and bertrand russell squared off on bbc radio for a debate on the existence of god. Father copleston deals with the problems of universals in the early medieval schools.
This extract is a transcript of a radio debate between f. Radio debate between copleston and russell 1948 hokmah. In this section, they discuss leibnizs argument from contingency, which is a form. The game was published as a single softcover with source material, rules. You have to imagine, in 1948 this was probably a very exciting thing and everyone and their dog would be gathering around the wireless to listen in on these two dudes having an argument. The cosmological argument russell and copleston debate. Father copleston s examination of the medieval curriculum is useful. The copleston, russell debate copleston s cosmological argument 1948 bbc radio debate 2. Copleston s argument is based on a combination of aquinas 3rd way and leibnizs principle. Pdf bertrand russell why i am not a christian and other essays. I must save all beings from the torrent of rebirth with the raft of my.
Copleston and bertrand russell squared off on bbc radio for a debate. Copleston and bertrand russell audio and transcript xpost from rhistoryofideas close 261. Copleston was educated at marlborough college from 1920 to 1925. Copleston and bertrand russell squared off on bbc radio for a debate on the existence of.
The cosmological argument russell and copleston debate 1. Breezing is the last method, where the character is overqualified for the job at hand and wants to outperform. Debate bertrand russell copleston pdf on january 28, the british philosophers f. This is an excerpt from the full broadcast from cassette tape a3035. In a modern introduction to dentreves, alexander p. A debate on the existence of god bertrand russell hereafter r. He also explains the debate between the nominalists and the realists. Bertrand russell stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. According to graham oppy and nick trakakis, the arguments used in this debate would typify the arguments presented by theists and atheists in.
Russell maintained that while he was technically agnostic. In this respect it is instructive to compare his history with the onevolume work of bertrand russell on the same theme. Russell refused to accept the idea of necessary beings. Frederick copleston, sj 19071994, england history of philosophy, metaphysics, philosophy of religion the russellcopleston debate apr. Bbc radio third programme recording january 28, 1948.
Copleston keeps his cards very close to his chest, with the result that it. As we are going to discuss the existence of god, it might perhaps be as well to come to some provisional agreement as to what we understand by the term god. Preliminariesthe debate bertrand russell 18721970, oxford philosophy of language, epistemology, mathematics, logic, etc. At the age of eighteen, he converted to the roman catholic faith.
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