Stephen Pattison

Emeritus Professor of Religion, Ethics and Practice, University of Birmingham

Seeing Things: From Mantelpieces to Masterpieces

In his series of lectures, Pattison considers the experience of perceiving visual objects, from high art to everyday artefacts. Looking at common perspectives in Western culture, he argues for ways to see the world more critically, broadly, and widely. While sight is one of the main ways we perceive the world, it is mostly assumptive rather than reflective. He argues that the range of things we see and value is both arbitrary and limited due to our basic and un-nuanced perspective.

Biography

Stephen Pattison was born on 14 September 1953 in the UK. A practical theologian and ethicist, he is known for his study of the relationship between beliefs, values, and practises, both within and outside formal ‘religions’. Temporary Lecturer in Pastoral Studies at Birmingham in 1983, he moved to the Open University as Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Welfare. In 1998, he joined Cardiff as Head of the School of Religious and Theological Studies, returning to Birmingham as H. G. Wood Professor of Theology from 2010 to 2019. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Practice.

An original member of the International Academy of Practical Theology and former Chair of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology, he is Director of the Doctor of Practical Theology Programme at Birmingham. After serving on the Ethics Committee of the Royal College of General Practitioners, he was made Honorary Fellow in 2013. Notable works include The Challenge of Practical Theology (2007), co-editor of Emerging Values in Health Care (2010), Understanding Muslim Chaplaincy (2013), and Saving Face (2013).

Published/Archival Resources

Published as Seeing Things: Deepening Relations with Visual Artefacts.