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Philosophy Hosts Major Public Conversations on Faith, Origins, and Human Understanding

30 April 2026
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Philip Goff and William Lane Craig in discussion

Durham University’s Department of Philosophy is at the centre of two high‑profile public events this year, bringing together leading thinkers to explore faith, disagreement, and the deepest questions about the origins of reality.

 

Christianity, Disagreement, and Living with Difference

Professor William Lane Craig (Biola University) and Professor Philip Goff (Durham University) are internationally recognised philosophers who share a Christian background but have a very different understanding of Christianity. In a lively public debate, they will discuss not only their theological differences, but also what those disagreements reveal about belief, doubt, and coexistence in an increasingly polarised world.

Craig is a conservative evangelical philosopher, well known for his defence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus and traditional Christian doctrine. By contrast, Goff describes himself as a progressive and “heretical” Christian, openly uncertain about the truth of central Christian claims and widely known for his work on consciousness and panpsychism. Their conversation promises an honest and intellectually rigorous exchange between two thinkers who disagree profoundly, yet remain committed to respectful dialogue.

This sold event is being held on the 4th May 2026 at Durham Castle.

 

The Origins of Reality: From the Big Bang to the Future of Humanity

A second major event, by Dr Jack Symes (Durham University), will take place at The Royal Institution in London, placing Durham Philosophy at the heart of one of the UK’s most prestigious public science and ideas venues.

This event turns to the outer limits of human understanding, asking how reality itself began and what those beginnings might mean for our future. The discussion will chart the explosive origins of the universe, the emergence of matter and mind, and the philosophical and scientific theories that seek to explain why anything exists at all.

Key questions will include:

  • What set the universe in motion?
  • What brough humans into being?
  • And what future might these origins be leading us towards?

 

The event will be hosted by Dr Jack Symes (Durham University) and will feature contributions from Jessica Frazier and Joseph Folley, broadening the discussion to include perspectives on religion, philosophy, and contemporary culture. Together, the speakers will explore how people with deeply opposed convictions can still engage constructively, listen carefully, and find common ground without diluting their differences.

More information on this event can be found on The Panpsycast x Theora Media Website.

 

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