President Higgins calls for ¡®renewal¡¯ of UK-Ireland academic relations

The President of Ireland says he wants to ¡°plant 바카라사이트 seeds to break new ground¡± and ¡°renew¡± 바카라사이트 relationship between British and Irish academics

April 13, 2014

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Speaking at 바카라사이트 Royal Society in London during his historic state visit to 바카라사이트 UK this week, Michael D. Higgins ¨C who was elected in 2011 ¨C also called for more integration between science and philosophy.

He said ¡°leaping through 바카라사이트 boundaries¡± that separate academic disciplines will help create better dialogue about 바카라사이트 ¡°complex challenges of 바카라사이트 future¡±.

Mr Higgins, a former social science academic, said that Ireland¡¯s contribution to 바카라사이트 understanding of 바카라사이트 natural world may have been ¡°overshadowed¡± by its work in arts and literature. ¡°That is not how it should be, we need to better understand 바카라사이트 role of scientific knowledge in shaping our relationships with 바카라사이트 world,¡± he added at 바카라사이트 event on 9 April.

He said it would be a ¡°mistake¡± to view science in Ireland as separate from 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s culture.

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Mr Higgins, who became Ireland¡¯s first minister for 바카라사이트 arts in 1993, said this was 바카라사이트 century of neuroscience with advances in this area giving cause for ¡°optimism and excitement¡±.

¡°But 바카라사이트 humanities have something essentially too to contribute to our comprehension of 바카라사이트 nature of human consciousness or what it means to be human,¡± he added.

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The rapid pace of scientific development is not yet matched by 바카라사이트 ¡°cultivation of critical and informed dialogue¡± within 바카라사이트 ¡°wider society¡± about 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트se achievements, he said. This is all 바카라사이트 more pressing because 바카라사이트 ethical issues arising from ¡°contemporary scientific and technological application have reached unprecedented levels of acuteness¡±.

He gave 바카라사이트 example of 바카라사이트 questions raised by climate change and said that 바카라사이트 ¡°total destruction of 바카라사이트 planet was not a concern of enlightenment scholars¡±. It is essential to ¡°instigate far reaching dialogue not only between 바카라사이트 disciplines but also¡­ in its application between Britain and Ireland¡±, he added.

¡°It requires 바카라사이트 crafting of a wide range of ethical discourse in which a wide range of citizens, not just 바카라사이트 most expert or scientifically literate, are invited to take part,¡± he said.?

Before entering public life Mr Higgins lectured in political science and sociology at 바카라사이트 National University of Ireland, Galway, and in 바카라사이트 US.

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holly.else@tsleducation.com

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Reader's comments (1)

An excellent speech from a scholar who is a credit to our country. How many countries have a President with a vision like this?

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