Skip navigation

Newcastle Business School expert talks on world stage about sustaining peaceful dialogue in the Middle East

20th October 2015

A senior lecturer at Northumbria University, Newcastle, spoke at an international forum in the Turkish capital of Ankara to address the problems of change in society and faith which have led to war in some countries around the world.

Rod Thomas, who is based at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, was invited to speak at the two-day-long symposium on ‘Karl Popper and the Problem of Change in Science, Society the State, and Faith’ which was organised by Dr Halil Rahman Açar and hosted by his Research Institute for Philosophical Foundations of Disciplines.

Speakers from the UK, USA, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Italy, Egypt, Germany, Ukraine, and elsewhere came together to explore Sir Karl Popper’s philosophy of open society, tolerance, and dialogue at a critical time of conflict in the Middle East.

Karl Popper - To Embed

Popper is widely regarded as one of the 20th Century’s greatest philosophers and in 1945 wrote ‘The Open Society and its Enemies’ – a defence of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the origins of totalitarianism.

According to  Rod Thomas - who had previously written about how Popper’s anti-authoritarian philosophy is relevant to business management - the philosopher’s arguments have proved timeless and are widely read in the Middle East today, just as they were in Eastern Europe prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He said: “As an Austrian émigré from Nazism, Popper thought it was vital to understand how and why totalitarian movements can come to dominate a society of people. I spoke about why technological and economic change places a strain on all societies, and why Popper’s ideas are so important to thinking about the problem of historical change.

“I was delighted to be able to participate in an event of this kind, involving so many scholars from nations that have so often struggled to have a respectful dialogue with one another - all before an audience of local Turkish people who were able to participate.

“I think Sir Karl Popper would have loved it and I congratulate Dr Açar for having the courage to organise it. Wherever we look, we seem to desperately need more opportunities for negotiation, dialogue and debate. The world’s universities need to play their part in enabling this to happen.”

The symposium in Turkey was very much in the spirit of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet – a coalition of organisations that made a contribution to the peaceful change in Tunisia, through peaceful dialogue across political and religious divides, at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war.

News

a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

Research at Northumbria
+

Research at Northumbria

Research is the life blood of a University and at Northumbria University we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

NU World
+

Explore NU World

Find out what life here is all about. From studying to socialising, term time to downtime, we’ve got it covered.


Latest News and Features

Bede Academy Trinity Health Centre launch event with first cohort
Liam Philpot is pictured in the Architecture studios at Northumbria University with some of his design work.
On World Mental Health Day, 10 October, a study involving experts from Northumbria University and led by Professor of Substance Use Research Elizabeth Hughes, from Glasgow Caledonian University, was published by funders the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
CCE1 generic
The 2024 International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) conference was hosted by Northumbria University.
the logo for Sounds Good Audiobooks
A person going into an MRI scanner
Community Practitioners in Belfast

Back to top