Information
Philosophy in the Community is a lecture and discussion series organized by the Philosophy Department at the University of Saskatchewan. It is in place as a public service, so that we may share the rewards and pleasures of philosophical reflection with the members of our community. Philosophical thinking, reading and analysis is part of the life well-lived.
This series is free, no registration is needed. No philosophical background is required; intellectual curiosity is. Coffee provided.
*This event is in the basement of Emmanuel Anglican Church. The standard way to enter is on the southwest side of the building via a flight of stairs. People with mobility issues are welcome to send a note to emer.ohagan@usask.ca to arrange for other access. Please do this well in advance of the event. An external ramp on the north side of the building provides entry to the church, and from there an elevator can be used to get to the basement
For more information, contact: emer.ohagan@usask.ca
Follow Philosophy in the Community on
| Location | The Refinery Emmanuel Anglican (formerly St. James) Church Basement 609 Dufferin Avenue (at 12th Street, just off Broadway) |
| Time | 7:00 – 9:00 PM |
| Dates | Second Friday of each month, January through March: |
2022 - 2023 Schedule (Term 2 only)
|
What's So Great About Gratitude? Emer O'Hagan (Professor, Philosophy) Friday, March 10th @ 7:00pm |
Many claims are made about the value of gratitude. In this talk, I will briefly outline some characterizations of gratitude in moral life in Western philisophical tradition. Turning to contemporary views, I'll distinguish between two different kinds of gratitude: gratitude to persons (for example, one's loyal friend), and gratitude for the conditions one finds oneself in (for example, for having a warm winter coat on a cold day). Are these different kinds of gratitude related? If not, are they both actually kinds of gratitude? I'll suggest that they are conceptually related, but they play different roles in the development in character and virtue.
|
|
Can Psychedelics Really Make People Better? Sarah Hoffman (Professor, Philosophy) Friday, February 10th @ 7:00pm
|
Scientific evidence of the potential of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of a variety of mental health conditions abounds. Data suggests that psychedelic use is associated with lowered risks of criminality and anti-social behaviors. And there is a long history of the religious and ritual use of these substances around the world. The positive transformative power of psychedelic experience seems well supported by these facts, which further suggests that psychedelics have the capacity to make people better, both in terms of health and morality. In this talk I explore some ways we might account for this and suggest a role that the aesthetic aspects of psychedelic experience might play in its transformtion. |
|
Fame, Heroes, Memory, and the Stories We Tell Leslie Howe (Professor, Philosophy) Friday, Jan. 13th @ 7:00pm |
The heroes of the past sought fame as a means of securing both personal glory and an enduring place in history. We can understand this quest for narrative immortality as a manifestation of the human existential struggle for permanence of identity against the oblivion of time and memory. It can also be an attempt to assert agency into a future in which one no longer participates. This talk explores some of the motivations for fame and recognition, as well as its futility. |
