GWU Philosophy Events

Each year the Philosophy Department and Colonial Philosophy Club sponsor talks, lectures, debates, and informal gatherings. These include the annual Elton and Thacher lectures, which are given by internationally recognized philosophers. Details for each event will be posted on this page as they become available.

2005-2006 Elton Lecture:

Do I Make a Difference? The Teeny Tiny Individual and the Big Bad World

Shelly Kagan
Clark Professor of Philosophy
Yale University

Photo of Shelly Kagan
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
4-6pm
Marvin Center, Suite 101

Shelly Kagan's two books are used in philosophy courses around the world and have stimulated extensive discussion. In The Limits of Morality (Oxford, 1989), Kagan challenges so-called “ordinary morality” – the view that there are limits to what morality can impose on humans – and defends the doctrine of classical utilitarianism, which holds that people are morally obliged, without limit, to do as much good as they can. In Normative Ethics (Westview, 1998), he examines how to judge the rightness of actions, exploring such factors as consequences, harm, and consent. This book was selected by Choice as an “Outstanding Academic Book” for 1998. Kagan is currently working on a book titled, The Geometry of Desert. He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

2005-2006 Goutman Lecture:

Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D.
Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director, Center for Biomedical Ethics, University of Virginia
Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, Washington, DC

Photo of Jonathan Moreno

Details to be announced

2005-2006 Thacher Lecture
in Philosophy of Science and Logic:

What Might Logic and Methodology Have Offered the Dover School Board, Had They Been Willing to Listen?

Neil Tennant
Humanities Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
and Adjunct Professor, Center for Cognitive Science
The Ohio State University

Wednesday, April 5, 2006
4pm
Marvin Center, Suite 101

Friday Brown-Bag Series

These talks are informal presentations of works-in-progress, usually followed by a substantial discussion period. Interested guests from other departments or institutions are welcome unless otherwise noted, and of course, you're encouraged to bring your lunch! All Brown-Bag talks are held in the Philosophy Department seminar room, Phillips 510. Sessions "officially" break up after one hour, though the room will usually be available for those who wish to continue the discussion.

Monday, May 8, 12:00: Mr. Niels von Deuten, "A Question of Faith: On the Possibility of Faith in the Religious Discourse"

Friday, April 21, 12:00: Dr. Michele Friend, "The Relationship between the Philosopher of Mathematics and the Practicing Mathematician: Or, Should the Mathematician Listen to the Philosopher at All?"

Friday, April 14, 12:00: Dr. Charles "Buddy" Karelis, "Economic Justice Reconsidered" (follow link for full paper)

Friday, March 31, 12:00: Dr. Alan Baker, "What (if anything) is 'experimental mathematics'?"

Abstract
The rise of the use of computers in mathematical research is raising interesting new philosophical questions about the nature of proof and of justification within mathematics. On the one hand, mathematicians have produced 'computer-aided' proofs - for example Appel and Haken's 1976 proof of the celebrated Four-Color Theorem - which are much too long and complex to ever be fully checked by human mathematicians. On the other hand, computers have been used to verify large numbers of specific instances of general mathematical claims - for example for Goldbach's Conjecture - thus building up a large body of what might be seen as inductive evidence. The term “Experimental Mathematics” has been applied to both of these developments. I am interested in whether there is any conceptual unity to the use of this term and in what philosophical issues are at stake in the acceptance of experimental mathematics.

Friday, March 24, 12:00: Dr. Timothy L. Fort, "Peace Through Commerce: A Primer"

Friday, March 3, 1:30: Dr. Thanassis Samaras, "Polytheism and Monotheism in Plato"

Friday, Feb 17, 12:00: Dr. David DeGrazia, "Moral Vegetarianism, Revisited"

Friday, Dec 9, 12:00: Dr. Serge Roganov, "Human Death: Paradoxes of Mortal Being"

Friday, Dec 2, 12:00: Dr. Daniel S. Malachuk, "What Transcends in American Transcendentalism?"
Friday, Nov 18, 12:00: Dr. Marshall Abrams, "Why did human cognition evolve?"

Friday, Oct 21, 12:00: Dr. Lloyd Eby, "Ethical Issues Concerning Technology"

4th Annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference:

Ethics, Law, and Social Policy
An Exploration into the Ethical Foundations of Legal Theory
<>Saturday, April 16, 2006
9:30AM - 5:00PM
Continental breakfast will begin at 9AM <>
Room 402 MarvinCenter

Call for papers (follow link)

Café Philosophique

These are open discussions, organized by the Colonial Philosophy Club in conjunction with the Department, focusing on topics of general public interest. Faculty "guest hosts" speak briefly to introduce the issue and provide a bit of context, and then everyone is invited to join in a spirited conversation. Light refreshments are provided, and everyone in the community is welcome to attend. Suggested readings are made available, for anyone wishing to read up on the issue in advance. For details, contact the Department or the Philosophy Club.

2005-06 schedule of events to be announced

University Seminar in the Human Sciences

These seminars are usually held from 1:00 to 3:00 in the Dean's Room, University Club, 1918 F St NW, and begin with a free lunch. If you plan to attend, PLEASE RSVP at least three days before the meeting to Jennifer Sieck, Rapporteur, Human Sciences Seminar, at jsieck@gwu.edu or (202) 994-8690. Please indicate whether you would like the organizers to order a lunch for you, and if you have any special dietary needs.

Friday, Nov 18: Dr. Peter Caws, "Self, Nature, and the Human World: the Relevance of the Human Sciences to Educational Policy and Practice," Commentator: Anna Kinsman, 801 22nd Street, NW (Rome Hall), Room 771

Friday, Sep 16: Dr. Noëlle McAfee, "Sublimation and the Semiotic Public Sphere"