The Manchester Lit & Phil Autumn 2019 Programme

The Manchester Lit and Phil Discussion for lively minds since 1781

September to December 2019

Welcome to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society’s 2019-20 season! The ‘Lit & Phil’ is now in it’s 238th year, having been established in 1781. This programme shows our main lectures until the end of December, full details of which can be found on our website. So, do come along to as many as you would like: lectures are free to members, and new members, of course, are always welcome to join - please see our website for further information. Benefits of membership currently include priority booking for lectures, special invitations to members only events, full access to the Manchester Memoirs and the option to purchase ‘lecture and supper’ tickets. Members of the public are also welcome to attend – to register, please see the website or contact the office.

We shall be publishing two further programmes ahead of the 2020 Spring and Summer terms, so do look out for those too. We have a very interesting and lively year ahead!

Dr Susan Hilton President

September 2019 Dr Jonathan Swinton

Monday 16th September, 2.00 pm - Lit & Phil Office

Alan Turing’s Manchester - *Members only* Manchester is proud of Alan Turing but does it deserve to be? In this talk based on his book, ‘Alan Turing’s Manchester’, Jonathan Swinton explores the complexity of the city that Alan Turing encountered in 1948 and the remarkable men and women who surrounded him.

Professor Des Winterbone

Tuesday 24th September, 7.30 pm - RNCM

An Unusual Announcement: Carlo Crivelli’s ‘An Annunciation with St Emidius’(1484)

Front cover image: vintage postcard of Manchester used on the front cover of Jonathan Swinton’s book: ‘Alan Turing’s Manchester’ pub. 2019, design: Birthday Design, Manchester

Des Winterbone, fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and former Pro-Vice Chancellor of UMIST, will explore the complexities of Crivelli’s Annunciation (1484). The multitude of Annunciations existing today epitomise Gregory the Great’s words “Illiterate men can contemplate in the lines of a picture what they cannot learn by means of the written word”. This lecture on Crivelli’s painting, depicting ‘no ordinary Annunication’, will explore the unusual work’s possible meanings, and the complex story within a story that it tells. *NB This lecture is preceded by the AGM, which starts at 6.30pm.*

If you’re interested in becoming a member of the Society you can apply online: manlitphil.ac.uk/membership Notable past members of the Society include: John Dalton, James Prescott Joule, Margaret Pilkington, Peter Mark Roget and Alan Turing.

October 2019 Nicola Kane

Thursday 3rd October, 7.00 pm - RNCM

Delivering The Future: Greater Manchester’s Transport Strategy Since the industrial revolution and the world’s first passenger railway services, transport has played a critical role in shaping Greater Manchester and the lives of people living in the conurbation. Over the coming decades Greater Manchester’s transport system will face huge challenges, such as how to cater for a growth in travel as the city’s population increases to around three million people. Nicola Kane’s lecture will provide an introduction to the ambitious plans.

Professor Daniel M Davis

Thursday 10th October, 7.00 pm - RNCM

The Beautiful Cure

Daniel M Davis’ research, using superresolution microscopy to study immune cell biology, was listed in Discover magazine as one of the top 100 breakthroughs of the year. He is the author of ‘The Beautiful Cure’, described

by Stephen Fry as 'One of those books that makes you look at everything human in a new, challenging and thrilling way'. Presented by an expert at the forefront of this adventure, this talk will present a revelatory new understanding of the human body and what it takes to be healthy.

October 2019 (cont’d) Derek Blyth

Tuesday 15th October, 7.00 pm - RNCM

No Regrets - The Life And Music Of Edith Piaf In a century known for its record keeping and attention to detail, Edith Piaf ’s life can read like a fairy tale. Derek Blyth’s lecture will examine the world into which she was born, lived and worked, a time of great turbulence and change encompassing two world wars, great social upheaval and the development of mass communication.

The event will be topped and tailed with live music, two songs made famous by Piaf and perfomed in tribute.

HH Judge D A Stockdale

Thursday 24th October, 7.00 pm - RNCM

Crime & Punishment - Why Do We Punish Offenders?

What is the purpose of punishment by the State? Why do we punish offenders at all? These issues have been discussed by political and moral philosophers for centuries - perhaps most notably by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. David Stockdale, Senior Circuit Judge, the Resident Judge at Manchester Crown Court and the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, will revisit the thinking of the early proponents of Utilitarianism and Retributivism and measures their principles against the framework, laid down by Parliament, which underpins the sentencing of offenders today.

Notable past speakers include: Cherie Blair QC, Professor Brian Cox, Felicity Goodey CBE, Bridget Kendall, Sir Harold Walter Kroto, Dame Hilary Mantel and Sir Roger Penrose

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Professor Callum Roberts

Wednesday 30th October, 7.00 pm - RNCM

Coral Reefs And The Future of the World

The last 30 years has been an extraordinary period in the span of human experience: our planet has changed faster than in all of human existence. We have transformed from inhabitants of this world to architects of its future.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the realm of coral reefs. Callum Roberts, author of ‘Ocean of Life’ and ‘Reef Life’, will describe how the coral reefs’ struggle for survival tells us something urgent and important – we need to change course now if we are to leave a world fit for generations yet to come.

November 2019 Dr Alan Crosby

Wednesday 6th November, 7.00 pm - RNCM

Place-Names And The Medieval Landscape In The Manchester Area

Alan Crosby, author of more than thirty books and numerous articles, specialises in the social and landscape history of North West England. Place-names are a key source of information about past landscapes, their settlement and their exploitation. This lecture will focus on Greater Manchester and the adjacent area, looking at the elements or linguistic building blocks which make up the names themselves, and showing how they may be mapped, plotted and interpreted. Place names are defining markers of modern society – and they have much to tell us about how the society developed.

The Manchester Lit & Phil - Discussion for lively minds since 1781

November 2019 (cont’d) Professor Trevor Cox

Wednesday 13th November 2019, 7.00 pm Manchester Conference Centre Now You’re Talking - *Young Persons’ Lecture* Your voice is integral to your personal identity. We judge others not just by their words, but also by the way they talk: their intonation, their pitch, their accent. Mixing scientific analysis with musical interludes, Trevor Cox will explore the workings of the voice and how it adapts to different styles, drawing on his latest popular science book, ‘Now You’re Talking’.

Professor Ivan Robertson

Thursday 21st November, 7.00 pm - RNCM

Psychological Well-Being At Work: Why It Matters And How To Improve It There is increasing interest in mental health throughout society. There is also a greater freedom in discussing mental health issues and, in some cases, being explicit about personal experiences. For most people of working age their experiences in the workplace have a significant influence on their overall levels of psychological well-being.

Ivan Robertson’s talk explores the factors that influence psychological well-being in the work place and interventions that can be used to protect and improve psychological well-being to help people have more good days at work.

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Manchester: City of Pioneers A short history of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society At the end of the 18th Century, Manchester’s size and importance were rapidly increasing. During that time the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society (popularly known as the ‘Lit & Phil’) was established.

It was founded in 1781 by Thomas Percival and Charles White, two medical doctors, who were also very interested in medical ethics, as well as matters of the day, and they were keen to discuss them more fully.

The group numbered 25 in all at that time. The Society has been in existence ever since, being the first and oldest Literary and Philosophical Society in the world, and the second oldest Learned society in the UK. Past members include John Dalton, James Prescott Joule, Tom Kilburn, Peter Roget, Ernest Rutherford, Margaret Pilkington and Joseph Whitworth. Today the Society still thrives, with over 350 current members, and an annual programme of over 30 lectures. It also holds several seminars, and some extra-mural events.

The subjects cover Arts, Science and Technology, Social Philosophy, and topics of interest to young people, along with others containing broader aspects of local, national and international interest.

The speakers are all experts in their field, with recent lecturers including James Burke, Brian Cox, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov.

Portrait of Thomas Percival

Portrait of John Dalton

You can see much more detail on our extensive website at www.manlitphil.ac.uk, and our friendly and informative staff would be very happy to answer any queries (please see contact details). All you need to join (or just register to attend a lecture) is ‘a lively and enquiring mind’!

Venue List Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) 124 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9RD 0161 907 5200

Manchester Conference Centre Sackville St, Manchester M1 3BB 0161 955 8181

Lit and Phil Office

5th Floor, Church House, 90 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2GP 0161 833 4187

November 2019 (cont’d) Professor Anthony Ogus

Thursday 28th November, 7.00 pm - RNCM

George Bernard Shaw As Music And Opera Critic

In the late 1880s to early 1890s, George Bernard Shaw was a prominent and popular music critic, writing weekly articles under the pseudonym Cornetto di Basso. He was knowledgeable and perceptive about music, and sometimes gave devastating reviews of concerts and opera performances. But in his often outrageous articles he also displayed a keen eye for the late Victorian musical scene more generally. Anthony Ogus, retired academic lawyer and Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester, will talk about this period of Shaw’s life and the contemporary music scene, as an introduction to reading some extracts from his reviews.

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December 2019 Professor Louis Appleby

Tuesday 3rd December, 7.00 pm - RNCM

Is There Really A Suicide Crisis Amongst Young People?

Hardly a week goes past without a media focus on the mental ill-health of young people with concerns over a “crisis” or even an “epidemic”. In particular the stories ask: is this a more suicidal generation? Louis Appleby will examine what the evidence tells us. What is happening to suicide and self-harm rates in young people? Is the pattern of risk different in boys and girls? What are the pressures that put young people at risk today? And, does suicide ever happen “out of the blue” in young people, without the warning signs that we rely on for prevention?

Professor John Guillebaud

Wednesday 11th December, 7.00 pm - RNCM

The Eco-Time Capsule Project: POPULATION MATTERS

Environment Time-Capsules (Eco-TCs) were buried in 1994 in the Botanic Gardens at Kew, Ness, and in South Africa, the Seychelles, Mount Annan near Sydney and in Mexico. These were designed as a Warning, an Apology and a Promise. John Guillebaud is Emeritus Professor of Family Planning & Reproductive Health, UCL and formerly Medical Director of the Margaret Pyke Centre.

This lecture will explore environmental sustainability, population and contraception using the eco-time capsule project as a framework for discussion.

The Manchester Lit & Phil - Discussion for lively minds since 1781

December 2019 (cont’d) Cafe Band

Friday 13th December, 7.00 pm - RNCM

The Lit & Phil Christmas Concert £10.00

Four of the Cafe Band musicians: Andy Fairley, Liz Wyly, David Greed and Colin Honour

The Lit & Phil’s autumn term will round off with a festive musical event at the Royal Northern College of Music, with the ‘Café Band’ playing a selection of music for us. They are a seven-strong classical musical group who got together during their time at Opera North. The group is composed of David Greed on violin, Liz Wyly on viola, Andy Fairley on cello, Dan Storer on double bass, Colin Honour on clarinet, Murray Grainger on accordion, and Martin Pickard on piano. Wyn Davies, conductor, will introduce them and has worked with them many times in the past. Music will include - Frederick Curzon: The Boulevardier; Fritz Kreisler: Liebesfreud; Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata; Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune; Schindler’s List; Franz Lehar: The Merry Widow; Carlos Gardel: Por Una Cabeza ; Jerome Kern: Showboat ; Mel Tormé: The Christmas Song.

There will be wine/soft drinks and light refreshments served at 5.30 pm, with the concert commencing at 6.30 pm. Do come along and get in the swing of the Christmas season, while enjoying a superb and experienced septet!

Coming up in 2020 23rd January

Professor Brendan Walker

Formula For Thrill

28th January

Michael Downes

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: Myth, Music And Message

4th February

Professor Nigel Linge

The Internet Of Things

13th February

Professor Sandra Kemp

Ruskin And The Polygon

18th February

Professor Trevor Robbins

Our Mysterious Frontal Lobes And Their Role In Mental Disorders

26th February

John McGrath

What Is The City?

Notable past members

Margaret Pilkington OBE, MA, FMA, JP Margaret Pilkington was the first female president of the Society (1964-66).

She founded the Society’s Arts Section in 1968.

After attending Manchester College of Art from 1911-1913, she moved to London to study at the Slade School of Art where she was taught wood engraving by Lucien Pissarro. In 1914 she enrolled at Central College of Arts and Crafts, under the tutelage of Noel Rooke, but with the outbreak of the First World War she returned to Manchester. She was a pioneering supporter of the Arts and concerned with widening public access to galleries and in 1925 she was invited to join the Council of the Whitworth Gallery. She became its Honorary Director from 1936-1959 and was the first female director of a major gallery. She died of breast cancer on 2nd August 1974 aged 82.

For more information on Margaret Pilkington’s time with the Lit & Phil Society please visit our website.

Image credits: Front cover - Jonathan Swinton; Prof Davis - University of Manchester; ‘The Beautiful Cure’ cover - Prof Davis; ‘Reef Life’ cover - Prof Roberts; portrait of Thomas Percival - Wellcome Collection; photograph of Margaret Pilkingon - John Rylands library; ‘A Woman Reading’ by Margaret Pilkington (back cover) - John Rylands Library.

The Manchester Lit & Phil Registered Charity No. 235313

If you’re interested in becoming a member of the Society you can apply online: manlitphil.ac.uk/membership New members are entitled to a period of free membership.

We ask that non-members who attend lectures consider making a voluntary donation to help the Society to meet its costs.

A minimum amount of ÂŁ5 per lecture is suggested.

5th Floor, Church House 90 Deansgate Manchester M3 2GP 0161 833 4187 admin@manlitphil.ac.uk