Philosophy for the Masses Goal of Conference
February 29, 2012 - News Release
Call it Philosophy in the City. From philosophy and feminism to the philosophy of chemistry to the “species problem,” the inaugural “Philopolis Guelph” will bring together thinkers to discuss varied topics on campus this weekend.
“A Feast of Philosophy” will take place March 3 in Macdonald Stewart Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
“The idea of Philopolis is to make philosophy accessible,” said philosophy PhD student David Struck, conference co-organizer. He hopes to highlight the discipline as a tool for discussing and considering public issues from politics to economics to ethics.
“One of the most important tools of a democracy is thinking public. We need to pay attention to things that are going on.”
A daylong series of workshops will discuss topics including the philosophy of chemistry, the effect of wildlife films on perceptions of nature, questions of self, moral philosophy, ethical eating and art esthetics.
Philosophy professor Karen Wendling will discuss “Philosophy in Feminism and Feminism in Philosophy.” Integrative biology professors Ryan Gregory and Robert Hanner will team up with the U of G chapter of Let’s Talk Science to consider the species concept and biodiversity.
The Guelph event is modelled on an annual conference at McGill University that Struck helped to launch two years ago.
The event is supported by U of G, the Department of Philosophy and the office of the vice-president (research).
More information is available online.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, or lhunt@uoguelph.ca, or Shiona Mackenzie, Ext. 56982, or shiona@uoguelph.ca.
