Spring 2023 Upcoming Events

The Ethics of Incarceration

Panel discussion: Dr. Emily Humbert, Dr. Jennifer Schlosser, Mr. Jonathan Robinson and Mr. Darryl Gay
Date: Thursday, January 19th, 2023
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: Edwards, Room 256

Abstract:
Dr. Emily Humbert, Visiting Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Dr. Jennifer Schlosser, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Director of the CCU Incarcerated VOICE Initiative, along with co-panelists and Incarcerated VOICE Initiative community members Mr. Luis Rodriguez, and Mr. Roderick Gordon, will discuss the realities of incarceration in America considering issues of ethics, human rights, and the prison reform and abolitionist movements. Mr. Jonathan Robinson and Mr. Darryl Gay will provide their personal narratives of experience with the criminal justice system and incarceration, contributing to the discussion their expertise and unique perspectives on justice involved individuals in today's American corrections system. 

Making Sense of the Sexist History of Philosophy

Speaker: Carol Hay, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Date: March 16th, 2023
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: Edwards Room 256

Abstract:
Can the explicitly sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, colonialist, and ableist statements that historical philosophers make be uncoupled from the core of the philosophies they articulate? This is a central question for anyone using these thinkers to shed light on the contemporary political landscape, especially when these theories have strongly influenced the world we live in now. The question I ask in this talk is, “Is there anything of use in these historical theories about women, or are we better off starting from scratch?” I distinguish between two strategies, and, focusing on the case of Kant in particular, argue that feminism has as much to teach Kantianism as the other way around.

Hurston's Secret Laughter: Contributions to African American Thought

Speaker: Lindsey Stewart
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: Edwards, Room 256

Abstract:
What is Black joy and how is it achieved? The history of African-American writing through folklore reveals an interesting answer. In a 1943 letter to Alaine Locke, Zora Neale Hurston suggests that if her research on ‘conjure’ was taken up philosophically, it would offer "something enduring for the world." In this talk, I consider what Hurston's conjure material might offer to African-American philosophy today. Focusing on her famous essay, "High John de Conquer," I argue that two special contributions emerge: a critique of abolitionist discourse and a political tradition of black joy, both major themes of my new book, The Politics of Black Joy.

Complaining as a Skill, a Duty, and a Virtue

Speaker: Kathryn Norlock
Date: Thursday, April 13th, 2023
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: Edwards, Room 256

Abstract:
My aim in this talk is to mount a case for the goods of complaining, and against the view that it’s bad if it “doesn’t solve anything.” I argue for gloriously wasting (some) time and indulging (some) feelings, because at base, skillful complaining seems to me to be a relational activity for the purposes of reducing one’s isolation. We can feel alone in a crowded world. I want to show that one can, and at times should, complain so that one is not alone. I also argue that one’s own complaint is called for, even a duty, when it can ameliorate the isolation of others. But I won't be recommending complaining all the time. Instead, I will argue that complaining is a virtue in a non-ideal world.