Author: Huenemann

Curious about the ways humans use their minds and hearts to distract themselves from the meaninglessness of life.

Philosophy Club, Wednesday 4:30, M201

Hey all!

Our next meeting is Wednesday, Jan 31, at 4:30PM in Old Main 201. We will be having a structured discussion about authenticity. We’ll ask the question: should we strive to be authentic? 

Attached are two readings. One is part of Ethics of Authenticity from the philosopher Charles Taylor, which is meant to help us understand why authenticity is generally valued in contemporary culture. You only need to read sections II and III. The other is Jean Paul Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism, a philosopher who prized authenticity.Both are about 14 pages long– if you only have time for one, read Sartre’s. Here are some questions I think it would be good to keep in mind as you read before we discuss.

  1. What is authenticity?  
  2. Do you or your friends care about “being authentic” “expressing yourself,” or “being true to yourself”? If so, what sort of activities fall under these terms for you?
  3. Do you think the culture of authenticity animates student life at USU today as much as Taylor thought it did in the 80s?
  4. How are freedom and authenticity related in Sartre?
  5. Should we strive to be authentic?
    • Does valuing authenticity lead to subjectivism, narcissism, or relativism?
    • Might it ever be good to be inauthentic or artificial?
    • Is an ethic of authenticity necessarily atheistic?
    • What do Taylor and Sartre think about their critics?

Jack Leonard

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EA Club and Philosophy Club Walk-a-thon

“On Nov.16, USU’s Philosophy Club, Effective Altruism Club, and ethics classes organized a walk-a-thon in support of the Malaria Consortium, a charity with a proven track record of making an actual impact through donations.

“It is important to try to encourage students to think about whether or not they want to live their lives differently in light of what they’re thinking about and learning,” said Mike Ashfield, assistant professor of philosophy, who called this a pilot project between classes and clubs that involved majors and non-majors.”

More here:

https://chass.usu.edu/liberalis/news/archive/fall-2023/ea-wat-phil

Undergraduate conference at Northwestern

We are excited to announce that Northwestern’s Undergraduate Philosophy Society is hosting a conference in Evanston, IL, on May 3rd and 4th, 2024. The theme of the conference is applied ethics–how one might apply moral philosophy to a real-world problem? This conference offers a platform for undergraduate and graduate students to present their original philosophical work, and we encourage you to share this opportunity with students. The conference will additionally include a keynote speaker, and students will have the opportunity to network after the event.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

Conference topic: Applied Ethics (this includes fields like bioethics, environmental ethics, animal ethics, and questions of social justice)

Conference date: May 3rd and 4th, 2024

Submission length/format: We accept papers of any length and format, so long as a proper citation style is used. It must be sent in PDF format. Content should be suitable for a 25-minute presentation.

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2024

How to Apply: Email papers that fit the above criteria to both andrewchin2025@u.northwestern.edu and clarydoyle2025@u.northwestern.edu and title your email “Philosophy Conference Submission”

Winners will be invited to speak about their papers at our conference and provided housing and meals during their stay in Evanston. We accept submissions from both undergraduates and graduate students.