Fall 2017 Colloquium Series held at Belk Library, Room 114 at 5:30pm
February 7: The History of Illusion: Classical German Philosophy Today
Dr. Joe Weiss
From Immanuel Kant’s famous critique of the transcendental illusion (Schein) of reason to Hegel, Nietzsche, and Marx’s various conceptions of the so-called beautiful illusion (Schein) that promises social reconciliation, Nine- teenth Century German philosophy was always interested in deciphering the truth-content of the myths and appearances (Erscheinung) that unfold on the basis of historical and political developments. The task of this talk is to, in the first place, elucidate the continuity or shared hope behind these attempts to critique and rescue all illusion. In the second place, it aims to speculate about the manner in which illusions, semblance, or appearances continue to shape our understanding of both the meaning of history and the ethico-political possibilities of praxis today.
March 7: What Motivates Religious Violence?
Dr. Kevin Schilbrack
The Islamic State takes credit for the shootings in nightclubs and truck attacks in Paris, Berlin, and San Bernardino. Buddhist monks led what they themselves called a holy war against Hindus in Sri Lanka. And the Lord’s Resistance Army kidnaps children and turns them into soldiers fighting to rule Uganda according to the Ten Commandments. We seem to be living in a period of religious violence. But how should we think about these events? Is there something about religion – like believing without evidence or believing that God is on one’s side – that leads to conflict with others? Or perhaps there is nothing about religion that leads to conflict, but extremists hijack and dis- tort religion for their own purposes? How should we understand the motivation of those around the world who claim to claim to fight in God’s name?
April 5: What Does the Bible Actually Say about Family Values?
Dr. Stephen Young
In our culture it is common for people to talk about Judeo-Christian morality, Family Values, and Biblical marriage. Contemporary politicians and religious leaders wield these phrases and make claims about “the Biblical view of marriage” to promote certain ideas about what families should look like and to oppose “redefinitions” of marriage in our world today. In this lecture we will explore the surprising contours of what biblical writings say about marriage, children, and families. What do these writings really say about family values? And is there even a single “Biblical view of marriage”?
Philosophy and Religion in the Contemporary World at Appstate
Philosophy and Religion in the Contemporary World Colloquium Series