Dr. Michael Otteson will present “Orwell on Political Justifications for Political Repression: Ancient and Modern Examples”
Zoom Meeting: https://usu.zoom.us/j/87865326387?pwd=Hmbwzpl5zp6eelcoyuEG00H8QGUEBR.1
Meeting ID: 878 6532 6387
Passcode: 903944
Update: We had another terrific turnout to close out the 2025-26 USU Public Philosophy Colloquium series. Thank you to everyone who joined us this year. We look forward to seeing you this Fall!
This event is funded with the generous support of a private donation. Additional support is provided thanks to a Public Engagement & Impact Grant from the Global Philosophy of Religion Project 2 (GPR-2).
Hope to see you there! If you’re unable to attend in person, please consider joining us via Zoom:
Zoom link: https://usu.zoom.us/j/86265013277?pwd=Dfhua77vYVC52UCyd9S6JeRazMT45L.1
Meeting ID: 862 6501 3277
Passcode: 876915
Join the USU Philosophy Club Reading Group for reflective discussions throughout the rest of the semester:
Readings available here:
Strauss: https://ia601703.us.archive.org/30/items/leo-strauss-the-city-and-man/Leo%20Strauss%20-%20The%20City%20and%20Man.pdf
Heraclitus: https://jujustoriesdotco.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/heraclitus.pdf
Goethe: https://dn790003.ca.archive.org/0/items/maximsreflection00goetrich/maximsreflection00goetrich.pdf
Update: Join us in-person or via Zoom
Meeting ID: 898 5314 4343
Passcode: 709368
Abstract: Imagine two opposed groups of thinkers: one group insists that religious beliefs of a certain kind produced modern moral beliefs and practices; the other group protests that modern moral beliefs and practices are wholly divorced (and divorce-able) from religious beliefs and their influence. Furthermore, both groups believe that the world has improved morally, or will only improve morally, given that their respective position is true. If this imagined conflict seems familiar, that’s because it’s a conflict we encounter in online and public discourse. In this talk, I negotiate these groups’ differences and similarities by reflecting on the ways both groups contributed to concepts, values, and histories relevant to contemporary human rights discourse. As a result, I show that despite significant practical and theoretical differences, the ethical-moral perspectives we presently inhabit, such as those captured in rights discourse, have been historically shaped by religious and non-religious thought alike.
Update: We had another great turnout and an engaging Q&A. Thanks everyone!
