SPRINGFIELD, Mo., August 27, 2021 — Beginning Monday, Aug. 30, the public can once again join in a semester-long conversation exploring philosophy, guided by Drury University professors.
Since 2018, faculty members in Drury’s department of History, Philosophy and Religion have held a weekly public reading group open to all students, faculty, staff and community members about issues of philosophical and religious importance. Led by Drs. Chris Panza, Ted Vaggalis, Peter Browning and Megan Case, the group has dissected the “big questions” about life that emerge in the writings of Cicero, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, MacIntyre, Rorty and others.
“This is a free program anyone can join, understand and enjoy,” says Panza. “There are no ‘pre-reqs’ and no background in philosophy or religion is needed – just curiosity and an open mind. The group is open to students, faculty, staff, and Springfield community members. This is about civic engagement with the humanities.”
This semester’s focus is on contemporary author Dr. Amy Olberding, currently a professor at the University of Oklahoma, and her 2019 book, “The Wrong of Rudeness: Learning Modern Civility from Ancient Chinese Philosophers.” Olberding will give a lecture on November 8 at Drury as part of the discussion series in November, thanks to a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council.
In reading and discussing the Olberding’s work, the group’s theme will be “Rebuilding Civility.” As Panza put it: “I’m excited to engage this public discussion because it touches on a central problem that plagues us today – the near collapse of civil, social, and political discourse in our society. We’ve lost the ability to talk to one another across political lines or social and cultural differences and we’ve replaced such exchanges with rudeness and scorn. In the book, Olberding analyzes the issue and proposes ways to respond to the crisis, using ancient Chinese philosophers as guides to help us navigate the storm of rudeness and incivility we are currently experiencing.”
The group will meet in person at noon each Monday this semester at Reed Auditorium in the Trustee Science Center, and also via Zoom. Discussions are informal and cover a maximum 10 pages of text each week, and members of the public should feel free to attend as their schedule allows.
Those interested in joining the group, either in-person or via Zoom, are asked to contact Panza at cpanza@drury.edu.
