The prestigious Gifford
Lectureships were established by Adam Lord Gifford (1820–1887), a
senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The purpose of Lord
Gifford's bequest to the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews
and Aberdeen was to sponsor lectures to “promote and diffuse the study
of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term—in other words, the
knowledge of God”.
Since the first lecture in 1888, Gifford Lecturers have been recognized
as pre-eminent thinkers in their respective fields. Among the many
gifted lecturers are Hannah Arendt, Noam Chomsky, Stanley Hauerwas,
William James, Jean-Luc Marion, Iris Murdoch, Roger Scruton, Eleonore
Stump, Charles Taylor, Alfred North Whitehead, and Rowan Williams.
The online Gifford Lectures database presents a comprehensive collection
of books derived from the Gifford Lectures. In addition to the books,
the Web site contains a biography of each lecturer and a summary of the
lecture or book. The Web site also contains a biography of Adam Lord
Gifford, a copy of his will bequeathing money to the four major Scottish
universities to hold the lectures, a brief description of natural
theology, an introduction to each of the four universities and news
about forthcoming Gifford-related events.
Learn more and listen to
some of the lectures at:
http://www.giffordlectures.org/
Scotland’s Gift
Philosophy, Theology, and the Gifford Lectures
The System of Animate Nature
Volume 1 |
Volume 2 |