Author: Huenemann

Tonight! 7 pm. Beverages, food, arguments, objections, and replies.

Helen Whitney is a documentary filmmaker who makes films about questions and problems that reach deep into the soul. She’s a big deal; for an overview, see the Wikipedia article. She is on campus this week, screening selections from her films and talking about the challenges she’s faced in making them and the issues they address. Last night I attended her presentation about films she’s made about the insane, homosexuals, a women whose life was destroyed by McCarthy zealots, and photographer Richard Avedon. She is an interesting person and a compelling lecturer, and her work is riveting.

Tonight at 7:30 in the USU Performance Hall she’s discussing and presenting clips from another film she made, “Faith and Doubt”, which concerns both 9/11 and Pope John Paul II. I haven’t seen the film, but my impression is that it addresses the complexities of religious faith. I am sure it will be of philosophical interest. And it’s free.

Conference Flyer

Thanks to Brian Leiter’s blog, I am now aware that Bertrand Russell appears in a Bollywood film. Wow. Just: wow. That got me thinking about Russell, and as I googled around for a story I half-remembered, I came across this account of Russell’s brief time spent teaching at the University of Chicago. It is a fun and interesting read, with plenty of amusing anecdotes rooted in a bygone era. Enjoy!

For the last three semesters, we have embarked upon an ambitious project of providing definitive answers to perennial questions via the oracle of Logan Lanes. (See the sidebar on the left for our results.) I think it may be time to give our arms a rest, and meet monthly for free and open discussion over beverages and the occasional pizza. So, starting this Monday, January 14th, we’ll convene at The Factory pizzeria, 119 S. Main. All are welcome!