Fall 2020 Events
Interview with Professor Anna Gotlib, Ph.D. for Engaged Philosophy
We're excited to share with all of you an interview that our very own Professor Anna Gotlib did with Engaged Philosophy about her experiences doing public philosophy. Anna shares about the projects she has worked on, discusses how public philosophy has informed her research, and offers some suggestions for those interested in taking on public philosophy. We are so proud of all the hard work Anna has down and will continue to do!
Please see the link to read the entire interview: https://www.engagedphilosophy.com/2020/12/03/anna-gotlib/
Friday, December 4
Crisis and Disaster Response, A Path to Resilience
Speaker: Student, Christian Reyes Jr.
ZOOM ID: 860 3349 1759 Passcode: 065005
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Abstract: Whose job is it to deal with crisis and disaster? What constitutes crisis and disaster? What do you know about crisis and disaster response/readiness? In this presentation, you will learn a bit about the history of crisis and disaster response, some steps that you can take to prepare, and an introduction to how New York City responds to disasters. The objective of this presentation is to educate the audience on crisis and disaster response, encourage preparedness, and uncover provocative thoughts on how and who should be responsible for resilience.
Tuesday, November 10
Anne Conway on Universal Sympathy and Universal Salvation
Speaker: Professor Andrew Arlig, Ph.D.
Abstract: Assume, as most theists do, that God is absolutely good. Can we infer from this assumption anything about how God's justice should manifest? In particular can we make any sense of the suffering that humans and other creatures endure? In this social hour, Professor Andrew Arlig, of the Brooklyn College Department of Philosophy, will present the fascinating, and in his view, compelling answers that the remarkable Lady Conway (1631-79) gives to these, and other related questions. Conway argues that all creatures have the same essence, and for this reason, they are all deeply interconnected. She also argues that all creatures will ultimately be saved. As Professor Arlig will demonstrate, she comes to these anti-dualist and anti-speciesist conclusions by reflecting on God's essence and attributes and what must follow from them.
View a Recording of this Social Hour at: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/QlxiPxYs33DMUkhPh9UMy5VgdhQNR-kXiLSoQXQww7nvaoKYDNO9Qj3dbzbbeF8_.ZuQtdkIyCzJIpH1l Passcode: *J*Xe8GM
Thursday, October 22
Who Are You, Anyway? Digital Identities, Biometrics, and Privacy
Speaker: Professor Anna Gotlib, Ph.D.
View this talk at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2zf41uijanw7p62/social%20hour%202020-10-22.mp4?dl=0
Abstract: Without identity, individuals are invisible. They are unable to access healthcare, vote, open a bank account, receive education, get employment, and are at risk for exploitation and trafficking. Without accurate population data, governments, public and private organizations cannot monitor key demographics, follow public health indicators, deliver basic human services or engage in socio-economics planning. Therefore, the United Nations is committed to deliver by 2030 the ability for everyone to prove who they are and exercise their fundamental human rights, using digital identity.
However there are dangers with designing centralized, singular, nation wide identity systems, which can threaten the right for privacy and enable surveillance and exclusion. In this talk, Brooklyn College Philosophy Department's Professor Anna Gotlib will consider the ways in which digital IDs can be problematic, and how they can implicate security, privacy, and autonomy.
Tuesday, October 27
The Successful Life
Speaker: Professor Christine Vitrano, Ph.D.
Zoom Meeting ID: 954 1353 8071 Passcode: 072468
Abstract: What makes a life successful? Does a successful life require money or material possessions? How does success in one area translate to success in life as a whole? What is happiness, and how does that fit into a successful life? Must one be morally good, or even good at all? How does meaningfulness fit in? These are questions that philosophers have been grappling with for centuries. Associate Professor Christine Vitrano, of the Brooklyn College Department of Philosophy, aims to explore these issues; particularly how to live a successful life, both in this upcoming Social Hour, as well as in the special seminar course she will be teaching in the Spring semester. She will present her original argument that while happiness, well-being (or prudential value) and the meaningfulness of life have each been treated by philosophers as separate, independent domains - in reality, a life that is able to attain all three of these values is the ideal most of us are seeking. Drawing on historical and contemporary works of philosophers, the view that she will defend is that the successful life is subjectively satisfying, it is good for you, and it is also meaningful, (you have had a positive impact on others).
Event Flyer: Race, Violence, and Power.
Tuesday, September 22
Race, Violence, and Power.
Speaker: Professor Kobie Colemon, Ph.D.
Zoom Recording
Students with a CUNY-licensed Zoom account can access the recording. Log in and use the passcode below.
- Zoom Recording
- Passcode: ..spr0F$
In a time of extreme socio-political uncertainty in the United States of America, racial tension has been a source of conflict. There has been a heightened recognition of police brutality directed asymmetrically towards Black communities, as well as a public acknowledgement of Black humanity in general. While the state represses political expression violently, our speaker, Professor Kobie Colemon, proposes that in response to violent action by the state, we ought to defend a different kind of violent action by the oppressed. This type of violence is not only justified, but invaluable; contributing to the alleviation of racial injustice as well as the greater pursuit of human freedom. After all, how can we truly claim that Black Lives Matter, if we do not also affirm that Black lives ought to be defended?
Professor Kobie Colemon is an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College and the author of New Black Soul (Kifaa Co.) and other works. He holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and is also currently a Development Associate at the Center for the Study of Brooklyn.
Co-sponsored by the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities as part of the Black Lives: Research & Action engagement series.
