I found this lecture on Creed extremely thought provoking. I think I have also made a conscious effort to learn some of Kwame Anthony Appiah’s skills at presenting, how they cross between topics, intersectionality, humour and intense topics is very impressive. 

Where I think this lecture resonated with me most, is the ability to not shy away from discussing fundamentalism, but to actually open up the topic itself so that it can not only apply to the discussion around faith and ideology (and where they do/don’t converge) but also to those who have no faith. Kwame Anthony Appiah seems to suggest we follow a pragmatic utopianism in the idea that we all have the potential to be revolutionaries, and that faith is not about belief but about action. I find this to be exhilarating and motivational. It reminds me that the power of utopianism, where it can come from nostalgia – the past is not what we want to return to, but to surpass it should be the aim. I believe this is why the lecture traverses the speakers past (of course so we can learn from it) but to show that faith is shaped by our collective experiences and that everyone’s faith is somewhat unique to their own. I will certainly revisit this lecture and share it with my Mum, I would like to open up a discourse with her around her selective beliefs towards faith validity.