 Paula Gottlieb November 16, 2017
Steven Nadler
October 26, 2016
Sarah Paul
October 22, 2014
Larry Shapiro
March 12, 2014
Russ Shafer-Landau
November 7, 2013
Claudia Card
April 22, 2013
October 17, 2012
Dan Hausman
February 22, 2012
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In an effort to promote the Wisconsin Idea, the UW-Madison Philosophy Department sponsors a lecture series entitled "UW Philosophers at Work." Talks in the series are free and are open to everyone interested in attending. If you'd like to read an abstract of a given talk or see a video of the lecture, please click on the relevant poster.
The inaugural lecture was given in February 2012 by Herbert A. Simon and Hilldale Professor Dan Hausman, on the topic of preferential admissions at UW. The second lecture in the series, entitled "Social Justice and Flagship Public Universities," was given by Prof. Harry Brighouse in October 2012. The third lecture in the series was given by Emma Goldman Professor of Philosophy Claudia Card, on the topic of "Genocide and Social Death," in April 2013. On November 7th, 2013, former UW Philosophy Department Chair Professor Russ Shafer-Landau continued the series with a lecture titled "On Marriage Equality." A video of his talk is available here.
Our next talk, entitled "A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Aristotle’s Ethics," will be given by Professor
Paula Gottlieb on November 16th, 2017 at 7PM in Grainger Hall, Rm 1100.
"The Declaration of
Independence hails the importance of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (my emphasis), but what is the happiness
that is to be pursued? If happiness is whatever any particular individual
thinks it is, then why should a lawgiver pay attention to that if it does not
harmonize with others’ good? But if
happiness is objective, what is it? To
answer these questions I shall take the audience on a tour of Aristotle’s
ethical theory from the traits of character required to be happy to the type of
friendship needed for a happy life. In
sum, Aristotle argues that the decisive factor in being happy is ethically good
activity. Therefore, according to
Aristotle, my pursuit of my happiness, far from being selfish, should be
congenial to others’ pursuit of their happiness also."
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