The Philosophy in the Community
Lecture & Discussion Series
@ The Refinery
Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and the College of Arts and Science
Philosophy in the Community is a lecture and discussion series organized by the Philosophy Department at the University of Saskatchewan, with the support of the College of Arts and Science. It is in place as a public service, so that we may share the rewards and pleasures of philosophical reflection with the members of our community. Philosophical thinking, reading and analysis is part of the life well-lived.
This series is free, no registration is needed. No philosophical background is required; intellectual curiosity is. Coffee provided.
For more information, contact: emer.ohagan@usask.ca
| Location: | The Refinery St. James Church Basement 609 Dufferin Avenue (at 12th Street, just off Broadway) |
| Time: | 7:00 – 9:00 PM |
| Dates: | Second Wednesday of each month, September through April |
2012 - 2013 Schedule
| Sep. 12 | "What, if anything, is Human Nature?"
Professor Emer O’Hagan Assumptions about human nature are prevalent and greatly influence the shape inquiry takes in numerous disciplines. Yet it is not entirely clear what we mean when we use the phrase “human nature”. In this talk I will consider several different views of what “human nature” could mean and possibly be, as well as objections to these views. I will frame my discussion of the concept by posing two questions: If we were to understand human nature, what good would it do us? If we failed to understand human nature, how might we be disadvantaged? |
| Oct. 10 | "Is the Truth Just What it is Useful to Believe?" Professor Eric Dayton When William James writes that the truth is what it is useful to believe, it is easy to find reasons to disagree. But is there a deeper, more subtle point that we are missing in so doing? In this talk we will attempt to take seriously the radical character of James’s commitment to the importance of human needs, aspirations and passions in giving shape to a conception of truth. We will examine his controversial examples from science, ethics and religion in order to understand his rejection of a transcendentally independent realm of truth. |
| Nov. 14 |
"No One Here Gets Out Alive: Death, Survival, and Personal Identity” Professor Peter Alward (Department of Philosophy, University of Lethbridge) A common view is that the death of one's body need not be the end of one's existence, that in some sense one can survive the death of the body. In order to survive bodily death, however, one needs to stand in a relation of personal identity to a person existing some time after the death of one's body. And it is not entirely clear that any defensible account of personal identity is compatible with the survival of bodily death. As a result, it may turn out that survival is not even possible.
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| Dec. 12 |
“Love and Games” Professor Sarah Hoffman Some have argued for the impossibility of romantic sexual love on the grounds that it is conceptually contradictory, or at least includes very deep tensions. In this talk I take up this question, explore how a narrative account of love may help us get around the problem and speculate about the ways pretense, role play and other game-related activities may be essential to romantic, sexual love. |
| Jan. 9 | "Can Evil be Banal?"
Professor Ria Jenkins |
| Feb. 13 | "Occupying Philosophy in Neoliberal Canada"
Professor Len Findlay In this talk I will explore the philosophical underpinnings of the Occupy Movement with three goals in mind:
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| Mar. 13 | "Moral Theory and Judicial Independence" Professor Brian Zamulinski This talk will examine the connections between legal theory, the ethical limits to parliamentary power, and why it is good for a liberal democracy to enforce such limits.
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PIC Archives: 2011-12 | 2010-11 | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 | 2005-06
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