Lunchtime Discussion Series: Readings on Liberty and Education
In this lunchtime discussion series, Paul Diduch and Alex Priou will co-lead discussions Mondays, 12:15-1:15 pm every three weeks (10/2, 10/23, 11/13, 12/4), on excerpts from great works on the question of liberty and education. Food and drinks will be provided.
NOTE: the 12/4 discussion is cancelled due to a scheduling conflict for faculty. We hope you enjoyed the fall series!
10/2, 10/23, 11/13, 12/4
12:15-1:15
Benson Center suite (Kittredge Central, 2nd Floor)
Food and Drinks will be provided
Potential thinkers to be discussed:
- Plato
- Aristotle
- Rousseau
- Mill
- Kant
- Tocqueville
- Adams
- Nietzsche
- Strauss
In our first reading (Oct.10), Socrates presents an image of democratic politics, in which we, the powerful but blind people, unwittingly reward the incompetent and malign the decent. Socrates' humorous allegory portrays political life as filled with self-serving grifters flattering the people, while the ship of state drifts aimlessly on dangerous seas. The passage's dense imagery admits of multiple applications and thus illuminates much of our political life.
In the second week's reading (Oct. 23), Aristotle begins his inquiry into the human good with a note of optimism and pessimism. We all want to live well, and that means finding a meaningful place in our community and even in the world. But we also sometimes worry that our pursuit of a good life will only ever remain a pursuit. What's the immediate goal of our actions and choices? And what's the ultimate goal? How do we get from one goal to the other? That is, how do our present choices contribute to our living the good life? And can we ever get there? Students are invited to review Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
For the third week's reading (Nov. 13), It's rare for two short paragraphs in a philosophic work to have world-historical importance, but that's the case with Chapter 15 of Machiavelli's Prince. There Machiavelli sets forth his critique of all prior thought and lays out his new understanding of truth and causality, as well as its impact on how we understand politics and morality. Machiavelli promises us greater freedom from necessity than had ever been promised before, a freedom gained only by a new understanding of the world. Inspired by Machiavelli's revolution, later thinkers reshaped the natural sciences and political life into their present form. In this seminar, we'll discuss Machiavelli's project and legacy. Prince Chapter 15