Evening Talks from the Lit & Phil Society

Event Description

Providing lectures at the cutting edge of modern thinking since 1835

The Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, locally known as the 'Lit & Phil', provide an annual series of lectures and discussions for the advancement of education in Literature, Science and Art.

Lectures are held on Mondays at 7.30pm at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, and are also available to join online with Zoom.

Everyone is welcome. The cost for non members is £5 per lecture, or £3 for students.

2023 Lecture Series:

• Monday 23rd January
  AI: Reality and myths
  
  To be given by Professor Nick Jennings: In our increasingly connected world, computation is everywhere. This talk will explore how humans and artificial intelligence (AI) systems can work together. In such partnerships, the humans and the AI systems complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, leading to a rise in the humans, as well as in the machines. The limitations of current AI systems are discussed, as well as the associated ethical and societal implications of their widespread adoption.
  
  


• Monday 6th February
  Diabetes, ethnic minority groups and COVID-19: an inevitable storm
  
  To be given by Professor Kamlesh Khunti: The risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is two to four-fold higher in ethnic minority populations compared to white populations and is also associated with increased risk of certain macrovascular and microvascular complications. Diabetes is also a major risk factor for severe COVID-19 and the combination of ethnic disparities in diabetes care has been a significant contributor to the disparities in COVID-19 outcomes for ethnic minority populations.
  
  


• Monday 20th February
  The F. L. Attenborough Lecture: Unearthing the ‘Rutland Sea Dragon’ – The UK’s Most Complete Jurassic Giant
  
  To be given by Dr Dean Lomax: In January 2022, news broke of one of the greatest finds in British palaeontological history, a 10-metre-long giant ichthyosaur found in Rutland. Dubbed the ‘Rutland Sea Dragon’, this remarkable fossil is the largest skeleton of an ichthyosaur, or any prehistoric reptile ever found in the UK. Excavation leader and world ichthyosaur expert, Dr Dean Lomax, will take us on a Jurassic journey and talk about the discovery and excavation of this exceptional Jurassic giant.
  
  


• Monday 6th March
  Medieval and Tudor entertainments in Leicester
  
  To be given by Professor Katie Normington: The late medieval and early Tudor world was one where entertainment played a key role. This was also the case in Leicester where the Guildhall hosted visits by over 56 acting companies in the 16th century, including one which was associated with Shakespeare, meaning it was likely he visited Leicester. This talk will outline the range of performances that occurred in late medieval Leicester and the function that it served for citizens.
  
  


• Monday 20th March
  Understanding the importance of soil health
  
  To be given by Dr Felicity Crotty: This lecture will aim to provide an overview of the fascinating life found within the soil, how soil management changes the structure, chemistry, and biology of the soil, and overall what this means to “soil health”. This talk will also include how changing land use and climate change will have an impact on healthy soils, maintaining food security and improving biodiversity within the soil habitat.
  
  


• Monday 3rd April
  The Geology Section Joint Lecture: Flood Risk Management, Past Present and Future
  
  To be given by Professor Lynne Frostick: Climate change is already impacting the rivers and coasts of our country. River flow records are exceeded on a regular basis and sea level rise is accelerating. Even if the world population agreed to stop emitting carbon dioxide today there is at least a hundred years of embedded change already in progress. This lecture will outline past and present trends in flood risk and then suggest ways society can adapt become resilient to the threat of flooding.
  
  


• Monday 24th April
  Bach and Handel – what’s the difference?
  
  To be given by Professor John Butt: The two greatest composers of the early eighteenth century often engender their own devotees, but very little attention is given to what actually divides them. Given that the two come from very similar backgrounds, their careers went down radically different paths. At a technical level they inevitably share many characteristics, but the differences in mindset, musical hearing and narrative musical consciousness might well reveal much about the sheer breadth of early eighteenth-century thought – right on the cusp of the modern world.

leicesterlitandphil.org.uk

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