Kicking off the 2018 Ismaili Centre Conversation Series with Dr. Abdallah Daar

Dr. Amyn Sajoo hosted the event, and pulled several topics from Dr. Daar and Peter Singers’ 2011 best-selling book called, “The Grandest Challenge: Taking Life-Saving Science from Lab to Village.” The book discusses the challenges of living in an age of increased innovation in health and medicine, while also facing obstacles of providing basic health necessities to those in the developing world. The purpose of the event was to delve further in dialogue with Dr. Daar, in the hopes of getting us to think about ways in which we can improve the quality of life and accessibility to healthcare for the global community at large.

Dr. Daar and host Amyn Sajoo, discussed a myriad of topics ranging from the Tuskegee trials on human testing, health advancements in China to the challenges of vaccinations and how they factor into one’s own religious beliefs. During the conversation, Dr. Daar made a particularly poignant remark, and stated; “as we mix more, we develop new traditions.”  This statement speaks true to the current state of the world, with globalization at the forefront, we need to ensure we are all doing our part to improve the quality of humanity. 

Attendees were given an opportunity to engage in a question and answer session following the conversation, which proved to be engaging and led to deeper dialogue. The guests discussed and questioned current complex ethical issues, including the hot topic of life support and the philosophies and ethics surrounding the idea of end of life care.  The 2018 Ismaili Centre Conversation series are a series of curated discussions led by Dr. Amyn Sajoo on topics ranging from citizenship, identity and religion.  The next conversation takes place on September 8 with John Ralston Saul on the topic of Pluralist Citizenship and its Enemies.  The final conversation takes place on October 13 with Professor Benjamin Berger on the topic of Faith and the Law.