The Philosophy in the Community
Lecture & Discussion Series
@ The Refinery

But, are these views in conflict? Does a policy of recognition, demanding that we respect differences among citizens, undermine our attempts to insure that all are treated as equals? These questions are the focus of tonight’s discussion.

Professor Ken Norman (College of Law, U of S)

The Supreme Court of Canada currently is deliberating  the Whatcott case.  During the arguments several of the judges peppered counsel with questions revealing a strong distaste for s.14 of The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code’s project of protecting minorities from hateful speech.  For the purposes of our discussion let’s look at one of William Whatcott’s pamphlets, “Sodomites in our Public Schools” which asserts: “If Saskatchewan’s sodomites have their way, your school board will be celebrating buggery too!” and, “Our acceptance of homosexuality and our toleration of its promotion in our school system will lead to the early death and morbidity of many children”.  So far, in the three tiers of adjudication leading to the Supreme Court, the answer to the question whether this message amounts to hatred that can be limited by a human rights code without infringing freedom of expression under the Charter has been yes, yes and no. The arguments in the national controversy surrounding Whatcott as to the wisdom of limiting any speech deserve our attention.

Søren Kierkegaard was the first existentialist philosopher and a trenchant critic of the superficialities and excesses of modernism. His critique of modernity has made him a favourite of postmodernists but he would have given them equally short shrift. This talk will present an overview of Kierkegaard's critique of triviality, bombast, and pusillanimity in philosophy, religion, and society, a critique that remains as pertinent to us as it was to 1840s Europe.