About
The Gifford Lectures are internationally renowned for their contributions to the advancement of theological and philosophical thought. They are held annually at the four ancient Scottish universities, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and St. Andrews.
At the University of Edinburgh, a series of six lectures and a single lecture are arranged each academic year. Distinguished speakers from diverse academic disciplines and professional backgrounds are invited to deliver lectures on topics of their choosing that fall within the terms of the Gifford Lectureship Trust Deed.
Past Gifford Lecturers at Edinburgh include William James, John Dewey, Albert Schweitzer, Reinhold Niebuhr, Niels Bohr, Arnold Toynbee, Rudolf Bultmann, John Eccles, Iris Murdoch, Paul Ricoeur, Charles Taylor, Michael Ignatieff, Wentzel van Huyssteen, Noam Chomsky, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Simon Conway Morris, Alexander Nehamas, Robert Veatch, Jonathan Sacks, Diana Eck, Mike Gazzaniga, Terry Eagleton, Patricia Churchland, Bruno Latour, Steven Pinker, Rowan Williams, Catherine O’Regan, and Kathryn Tanner.
- University of Edinburgh Gifford Lecture Series
- Gifford Lectures Archive
- Edinburgh Gifford Lectures on YouTube
- University of Aberdeen: Gifford Lectures
- University of Glasgow: Gifford Lectures
- University of St Andrews: Gifford Lectures
- Templeton Press’ online Gifford Lectures database
I am a high school Theology/Philosophy teacher in Boise, Idaho, USA. Can you tell me if the Gifford lectures are open to the public? When will they be held and where for 2018-19? How long do they last? One or several years?
Dear Mr Vitrano
Thank you for your message. I am sorry for the delay in replying. This blog is only active during the fortnight of each series and for a limited period either side. I can be best contacted by my email address anna.conroy@ed.ac.uk.
The Gifford Lectures are open to the public and are held at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, the University of St Andrews, and University of Aberdeen. They have been held most years since first started in the nineteenth century. Hopefully they will continue for a good many years to come.
This academic year there will be a series of 6 lectures at the University of Edinburgh. These will be held in May and will be delivered by Classicist Professor Mary Beard of the University of Cambridge, England. Further details will be made available shortly on our Gifford Lectures webpages https://www.ed.ac.uk/arts-humanities-soc-sci/news-events/lectures/gifford-lectures.
Best wishes
Anna Conroy
Secretary to the Gifford Lectureships Committee