Public Philosophy Week is April 23-29th and I will be giving a rambling sort of talk at The Four Corner's School House (945 Vincent Flats Road) in East Montpelier on Sunday the 23rd from 1 to 3 PM:

How Matter Matters: on the Relationship Between the Material World, the Mind, Meaning Making and Conduct of Life

For thousands of years beauty has been suspected as fleeting, shallow, or deceptive, while continuing to be a driving force of many of our choices and pleasures and also an impetus for learning and meaning making. From Plato to Christianity to Descartes, philosophers have argued for a dualism between the mind and the body, usually elevating what is considered a separate Spirit above Matter and more or less denigrating the world of the senses. This legacy often informs contemporary social and aesthetic judgments, leading to a dreary utilitarianism or excesses of moral censure. There is, however, another legacy, one that sees the body and the mind, the material and the spiritual as connected and that believes there is a relationship between form, surface, dynamic irreducible physical factors and a meaningful existence. Contemporary brain science (neuro-aesthetics) further, provides evidence that our minds naturally search for and require order, harmony, and beauty in order to learn and grow—calling claims about the alleged social construction of beauty into question. This discussion will explore the history of ideas about the relationship between the material world and how we choose to live our lives, ultimately celebrating much-maligned Beauty, as a vital force in life, art, and ethics. Tea will be Served! Questions will be asked!

The other Public Philosophy Week events can be found here: https://www.publicphilosophyweek.org/

Event Info

Nov 11, 2024, 7 to 8:30 PM

Nov 14, 2024, 4:30 to 6 PM

Nov 16, 2024, 10 AM to 12 PM