I want to thank the philosophy department for organizing the weekend trip to Cumberland Lodge where we were so warmly welcomed by Canon Dr Edmund Newell.
It was so wonderful to escape the busyness of London and spend an entire weekend in a magical historical building situated in the middle of wonderful Windsor park. Walking on the red carpets while passing the portraits of the royal family as well as antique furniture make you travel back in time. Every item in the building has its own unique story that tells you way more than the lessons on UK history taken in high school. Moreover, the building itself is situated right in the heart of Windsor Great Park and a picturesque view of numerous trees covered with leaves of various shapes and colors as well as green fields opens right from the window of one’s bedroom.
Walking in the park was even more delightful due to the sense of freedom and closeness to nature as well as freshness of air. It is important to note that the Royal Chapel of All Saints is also situated nearby and because we were guests at Cumberland Lodge we were allowed to pay a visit to it (which is, by the way, regularly attended by the Queen!). Last but by no means least, we were served excellent British food over the course of our stay that consisted of delicate salads, extraordinary main meals and superb desserts (even during our Sunday service we were reminded by the member of the Church how great the dining is over there).
We did not go there just to eat and enjoy the beauty of the park and the Lodge though. It was a time when we also exercised our brain as we were given lectures on philosophical topics, which I immensely enjoyed. The first lecture given by Thomas Simpson would be treated, I believe, very controversially as he suggests making bankers into professionals whose work does not depend on bonuses but instead is pursued in a way similar to doctors or lawyers. On Saturday morning we talked about time theory with Heather Dyke and she tried to reject the convention that time flows. Later on, we looked at organisms as a society of cells: basically we were combining biology with the insights from social theory and, lastly, we talked about disability with Alex Gregory. Disability seems a topic that is discussed widely, yet it is quite controversial and is not that clear. Alex tried to clarify the notion as well as offered his understanding of it. On Sunday morning, Susanne Burri gave a lecture on the ethics of autonomous systems.
It was a great weekend that showed how hobbies can be combined with education, how powerful the persistence of one person, namely Amy Buller, can be, and how influential academia is. Should you have the opportunity to visit this place, do take it up!
