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Genre: Ethics & Morality
Programme: Thought for the Week
Presenter: Gavin Oldham
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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Could Africa benefit from Incentivised Learning?

Gavin Oldham
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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Could Africa benefit from Incentivised Learning?
Last week we heard of sixty migrants dying in an attempt to reach Cape Verde across the Atlantic Ocean: young people risking all for a better life. But, as we wrote on 15th May, it's the underlying challenges, including conflict and poverty, that must be addressed. Global problems like these require global solutions: we suggest a combination of inter-generational rebalancing funding a programme of incentivised learning for young people across Africa, providing them with the resources and life skills to start achieving their potential. Background music: 'Six by Eight' by Jimmy Fontanez_Media Right Productions. 15th May Commentary link: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2023-05-15/

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Consequences of Unbridled Self-Interest
Pixar's 2008 computer-animated movie 'Wall•E' paints a depressing picture of the Earth laid waste by a combination of consumerism, corporatocracy, proliferation of waste and human environmental impact. Just fifteen years later we see this spectre emerging in front of our eyes. But is science the answer, as put forward by Lord Rees in his book 'If Science is to Save Us'? We suggest that the problem is deep-rooted in our unbridled self-interest, and that only a genuine re-building of care for others, including our neighbours of tomorrow, can save us from these horrendous consequences. Background music: 'Dance of the Mammoths' by The Whole Other

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: The Social Merits of Long-Term Ownership

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: The Social Merits of Long-Term Ownership
What is the psychological effect of individual ownership — and, notwithstanding the low starting point, how can we bring a sense of ownership right across society? Is the rate at which people discount the future impacted by their sense of ownership and thereby their sense of responsibility for the future? Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Investing in Energy

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Investing in Energy
Dire warnings about the damage from climate change, plus the war in Ukraine, mean that we need to wean ourselves quickly off fossil fuels. However the investment markets are very slow in re-aligning opportunities in quoted investment markets: personal investors need to be able to invest in massive renewable energy projects such as Xlinks, but private equity and institutions have got in there first. We need a thorough overhaul of the investable energy sector to provide socially acceptable alternatives to fossil fuels. Background music: 'Boundless Energy' by Nate Blaze

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Resurrection

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Resurrection
The climax of the Easter story, for those of a Christian persuasion, is resurrection: something which should concern us all, because we're all going to die one day — and this is about life after death. Drawing on reason and logic, and referencing great intellectual thinkers throughout history, Revd. Canon Rosie Harper contributes her thoughts to help you make sense of it all. Background music: 'Erev Shel Shoshanim' by E's Jammy Jams Image source: BBC Share Radio webpage for links & text https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2023-04-03/
Guest:

Rosie Harper


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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Male Headship and Putin

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Male Headship and Putin
Putin's two-hour monologue in Moscow last week sought to justify his assault on Ukraine with a raft of dogma, including a presumption of divine male headship — hardly the basis for economic and social justice for all. Elitist theories, whether based on gender, race or nationality, have no place in an egalitarian, peaceful world: it is men, not women, who start wars and fill the prisons. Likewise, Churches should not allow themselves to be drawn into defending masculinity in the nature of God. Background music: 'A Fool's Theme' by Brian Bolger Also: view https://www.shareradio.co.uk/media/8106/love-and-the-individual.pdf

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Unwrapping God’s Technology

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Unwrapping God’s Technology
Our understanding of science moves forward relentlessly: it feels that we are not far from unwrapping the nysteries of the spiritual dimension. For example, the seemingly impossible basis of communication which is quantum entanglement, illustrated by murmurations, appears to be beyond the limitations of the known laws of physics — could this be the route by which the disciplines of spiritual and scientific endeavour can converge? Meanwhile the established Churches seem locked in tradition as they struggle to present the message of love and servant leadership which Jesus brought. Background music: 'In the Temple Garden' by Aaron Kenny Image source: Geograph © Walter Baxter

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Sharing Love

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Sharing Love
Last week's Census announcement, that the population of those in England and Wales who identify as Christian has fallen below 50% for the first time in 1,500 years, contrasts strongly with the fact that the secular culture which surrounds us is more deeply embedded than ever with the values that Jesus taught — arguably more so than the Church itself — to love our neighbours as ourselves. How did the Church get left behind, and what should it learn from those who are not its members? Background music: 'Not Forgotten' by Dan Lebowitz

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Science to the Rescue

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Science to the Rescue
Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal and former Master of Trinity College Cambridge, has just published a new book called ‘If Science is to Save Us’, which he discussed at a Topos Institute seminar at the Royal Society in London on Wednesday 27th September. Our 'Thought' for this week reflects on his analysis of the mega-challenges which confront us, picking up links to commentaries on his themes which we have provided over recent years, and which are accessible from the website commentary link below. Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other Share Radio webpage for links: https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-10-03/

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Gavin Oldham

Thought for the Week: Young People Search for Meaning

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week: Young People Search for Meaning
The Theos Think Tank has demonstrated that the ‘angry hostility towards religion engineered by the new atheist movement is over' in their report ‘Science and Religion: moving away from the shallow end’. This shows how young people are increasingly open to exploring the meaning of life, and prepared to explore the bridge between science and faith. This commentary brings out some of the key points emerging from their work and provides insights from economics and the book of Ecclesiastes in order to argue that the best way to tackle these dilemmas is through the application of logic. The background music is the track 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones. There are a wide range of links from the webpage version of the commentary, which can be accessed at https://www.shareradio.co.uk/thinkingaloud/newsletters/comment-wc-2022-05-03/

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