Professor Roger Trigg interview on Relgion Report.

Radio national has some interesting interviews here is my notes on one from last Wednesday. The full transcript is at The Relion Report website.


Trigg seems to argue that modern Western secular society idea of toleration of religion has meant placing the understanding of religion outside of reasoned inquiry. This has lead to the ignoring of religion. Under the idea of treating all religion equally we have given the mad, marginal and the dangerous tolerance.

Trigg provides a good argument for Natural Law Theory, published in his book Morality Matters (2004). It seems to follow the Aristotelian ideas. The preordained path must be followed for humans to flourish. The ultimate measure of all actions is whether it does humans good or bad.

The Enlightenment idea is that human liberty is something we had to fight the churches for. Trigg contrast that with the need to protect liberty from the tyranny of the state. The basis of liberty is the freedom of religion.

Trigg reconstructs John Lock’s defence of liberty. Lock was a Christian and much of his thoughts are rooted in Christian belief. We are responsible to God for the use of the divine gift of free will and hence that freedom should be respected. A society that does not allow that freedom is wrong.

Trigg mirrors Stark’s arguments that the Enlightenment had its origins within Christianity. Trigg uses a term called the Early Enlightenment. In England it had its origins from among theologian and Christian Philosophers in Cambridge University with the “Cambridge Platonist.”

Trigg gives a Christian explanation of the slogan to the French Liberty – Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood.

A contradiction in the interview then appears. Trigg criticises the Canadian ‘Charter of Human Rights’ and the European ‘Convention of Human Rights.’ They have the effect of moving a nation from being a ‘Christian’ society to a secular society. However, written rights are designed to guarantee the divine gift of human free will.

Crittenden then quotes from Trigg’s book Religion in Public Life (2007). The quotes say that since we treat all religions as an undifferentiated whole, assuming that they are equally silly, has lead to justices to protect stupid beliefs.

Trigg then argues for religious schools that are firmly regulated by the State .

These ae notes only ,,,,