Nick Spencer speaks with Director of the Institute of Technology and Humanity, Stephen Cave. 07/05/2024 Once upon a time, it was religions that promised eternal life. Now its science, with the possibility of immortality – whether bionic, cellular, genetic, or virtual – being the subject of big Silicon Valley dollars. Is this something we want? Who actually want to live forever? And, perhaps more importantly, should we? In this week’s episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Stephen Cave about his book Should You Choose to Live Forever? Buy a copy of Stephen’s book here.   Interested in this? S ..read more

Paul Bickley on work and the need for Government to understand how people’s values are shifting in the Church Times. 26/04/2024 IS WORK “a good thing” — a human good rather than a source of economic growth? Is it morally preferable for people to work or to do other things? As AI and similar technologies promise (or threaten) radical change in the economy, now is the time to bring these questions out of the shadows and into the open. Arguably, something perhaps unique is happening in the UK. We do not see work as the primary driver of a good life. Indeed, 43 per cent of peo ..read more

Nick Spencer and Hannah Rich share their takes on headlines about Kate Forbes, her faith and potential bid to be Scotland’s First Minister. 01/05/2024  “Whoever leads Scotland next, it can’t be Kate Forbes” NEW: Whoever leads Scotland next, it can’t be Kate Forbes My column in @thetimes https://t.co/jYqVwAwxfZ — Kenny Farquharson (@KennyFarq) April 30, 2024 Ok, I’ll bite. The Kate Forbes Bandwagon is back on the move, the position of Scottish First Minister having unexpectedly become vacant. And that means that the Anyone But Kate Forbes Bandwagon is also on the move. Exhibit A: Kenny ..read more

Marking this year’s Labour Day, Ben Ryan explores the complex dynamics of the UK labour market, highlighting the intersection of work and exploitation. 01/05/2024 Working at a modern slavery charity (see more about Medaille Trust here) you see closely the double–edged sword that the UK labour market represents. On the one hand, the right and capacity to work is pivotal to the recovery and development of people who have had their dignity and agency denied them by their exploiters. On the other, the UK labour market is riddled with abuse and exploitation that strip out and compromise dignity on ..read more

A photo exhibition by Ruth Samuels, commissioned by Theos, unveils the beauty and humanity of care work. 29/04/2024 The exhibition is on display at the Guild Church of St Katharine Cree until 24 May 2024. Please check with the church office for opening times. Care work is chronically underpaid and undervalued in our society. It is often spoken of as an ‘unskilled’ or ‘low–skilled’ endeavour. In policy analyses care is reduced to a series of tasks, and carers to economic units.     This series of portraits of carers by Ruth Samuels tells another story; that care work can be cons ..read more

Hannah Rich speaks with Jumoké Fashola, host of Inspirit on BBC Radio London, about care work and Theos’ Work Shift series. 28/04/2024  Listen to the full segment from 02:12:15 here.  ..read more

In light of the launch (and subsequent defrocking) of Catholic Answers’ AI chatbot ‘Fr Justin’, Nathan Mladin explores how we can effectively harness AI while preserving human relationships. 26/04/2024 We’re at the dawn of a new technological revolution with AI already proving to be a highly disruptive technology whose impact will be felt across all sectors of society and aspects of life for years to come. But the conversation, particularly around the automation of work, easily gets mired in a popular misconception. Bluntly, AI is not inherently poised to usurp any roles. It can do no such th ..read more

In light of news about Frank Field’s death, Nick Spencer writes about his role in the dialogue between faith and politics. 24/04/2024 About a decade ago, I wrote a history of the influence of the Bible on British politics. I remember talking about it with Frank Field one afternoon in parliament. I told him how the book recounted the full story, stretching all the way from Augustine of Canterbury in the sixth century to Blair and Brown in the 21st. “That’s a pretty grim end to the story,” he responded.  Frank Field was a superb campaigner, parliamentarian, and human being. He was widely r ..read more

In light of recent terrorist attacks in Sydney, Simon Smart reflects on the extraordinary acts of forgiveness and love amidst communal tension seen in the aftermath. 23/04/2024 A little over a week ago, the peace of a gloriously sunny autumn Saturday afternoon here in Sydney was shattered when a mentally disturbed man wandered into a Bondi shopping centre, pulled out a 30cm knife, and began attacking random people. He clearly targeted women. Six people died, five of them female. A nine–month–old baby girl was stabbed in the abdomen. She underwent emergency surgery and eventually pulled throug ..read more

Nick Spencer speaks with Cambridge University Professor of Theology & Natural Sciences, Andrew Davison. 23/04/2024 Little green men were once a complete fantasy – but the numbers appear to be on their side. The sheer size of the universe, the number of stars and, it seems, the number of potentially inhabitable planets means that alien life is highly probable. What would it mean for us if that were so? If we did ever ‘make contact’? What would it mean for our sense of pride, our dignity and in particular for those belief systems that have a particular emphasis on the human species? In t ..read more