This Saturday, May 31, at the Cambridge School or via Zoom…
Idealism and Orthodoxy at Oxford
Dear Friends and Supporters,
This Saturday, the Lewis Tolkien Society will begin a three part series reviewing Dr. Patrick’s book The Magdalen Metaphysicals: Idealism and Orthodoxy at Oxford, 1901-1945. This work details the Oxford climate of ideas at the end of the Edwardian age which unfolded between those influenced by the metaphysical legacy of Kant and Hegel on the one hand and the emergent positivist and analytic traditions of G. E. Moore, Bertran Russell, and A. J. Ayer on the other. Dr. Ron Muller will discuss how the Oxford dons grappled with the challenge of defending Christian orthodoxy through the work of Clement Webb, R. G. Collingwood, and others while influencing C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Topics:
May 31 Background: Oxford in 1901
June 7 Metaphysics in the 19th century: From Kant to Hegel, Croce, F.H. Bradley, Collingwood and G. E. Moore – The Great Debate
June 14 Idealism, Orthodoxy, Philosophy, and Literature – Lewis and Tolkien
Questions:
What is metaphysical idealism? What was the teaching of Kant and Hegel regarding the ultimate nature of being?
What did this mean for the Christian orthodoxy of Anglicanism in the work of Clement Webb, Thomas Green, and R. G. Collingwood?
Why was metaphysical idealism challenged by the philosophical realism of Moore and Russell?
How did the literary vision of Lewis and Tolkien influence the debate?
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Join the Lewis Tolkien Society at the Cambridge School located at 3202 Royal Ln, Dallas, TX 75229 (at the intersection of Webb Chapel and Royal Lane) to participate in person– or participate via Zoom by connecting to the LTS calendar page and clicking on the date for the Text and Talk.