This is an online event.

What can an 18th century disaster teach us about COVID-19? In 1755, an earthquake destroyed the city of Lisbon, killing thousands, and causing philosophers and theologians to question who should be blamed for natural disasters: humans, nature, or God? Covid-19 is global and more deadly but raises the same question. In this online talk, Dr Joseph Cunningham and Dr Dafydd Mills Daniel recreate the disagreement between two Enlightenment philosophers over Lisbon: Voltaire and Rousseau? They will ask the audience which side they agree with, and explore how an 18th century debate has reappeared in reactions to Covid-19.