The eminent philosopher Mary Warnock is to give the first annual Hook Lecture at Leeds Parish Church on 17th November, in a public event attended by leading figures from the city, the churches and the universities.

The lecture is entitled “The Foundations of Morality”, and will tackle major questions about how we understand right and wrong in today’s world.

Baroness Warnock is one of Britain’s best-known thinkers on ethical issues. In 1984, she was the author of the report that formed the basis of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. The most recent of her many books is Dishonest to God: On Keeping Religion out of Politics (2010), which puts forward controversial arguments for the separation of religion from morality.  Her lecture will explore some of these controversies.

The Hook Lectures are jointly organised by Leeds Parish Church, the Leeds Church Institute and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Leeds. They are named in honour of Walter Farquhar Hook (1798-1875), a Vicar of Leeds who was passionately committed to supporting education and social welfare in the city.

Revd Canon Tony Bundock, current Rector of Leeds, said “As the parish church at the heart of the city of Leeds, we want to create spaces in which people of all faiths and none can come together to think about the questions that really matter for our city and our world. This public lecture is a wonderful opportunity to hear some of the latest thinking from one of the leading philosophers of our time. We are planning equally high-profile lectures for future years, and we hope the Hook Lecture will become an important event in the Leeds calendar”.

The lecture, on Thursday 17th November, 7.30pm at Leeds Parish Church, will be followed by refreshments and a book signing by Baroness Warnock. The Right Reverend John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, will chair the proceedings.

Attendance at the lecture is free, but tickets must be booked in advance from Leeds Church Institute (0113 245 4700, general@leedschurchinstitute.org) or from Leeds Parish Church (contact@leedsparishchurch.com).

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