Goal

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Our Goal

Objective:

At present, there are several well-known philosophical lecture series on the international stage; when such lectures are mentioned, one immediately thinks of the university organizing them. Anyone who thinks of the “John Dewey Lectures” will also think of Columbia University. The same goes with the “John Locke Lectures” and Oxford University. The Aquinas lectures at Marquette and the annual ethics lectures at the University of Kansas are some other good examples. The reason that these lecture series have been so successful lies in their strong traditions and excellent educational environments. The subsequent publication of the lectures by good publishers has also been the key in raising the profile of these famous lectures. The original idea of our plan came from these successful cases of worldwide well-known lectures. We hope that: The Soochow Lectures in Philosophy will be among the world's most distinguished lecture series in philosophy.

Implementation:

1. Lecture schedules

The series of lectures is held on a once yearly basis. As most of the invited speakers will come from Europe and America, the lectures will mostly be held during May and June of each year in order to accommodate their schedules. Each lecture series will consist of a maximum of three lectures (initially scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings) of one hour each, followed by 30 minutes (maximum one hour if required) for questions and discussion.

2. Selection of invited lecturers

In order to improve the academic level of philosophical education in Taiwan, as well as to attract internationally a well-regarded publisher to commit to the publication of the lecture series, the selection of invited lecturers will be focused on internationally regarded philosophers who have made original and substantial contributions to the field. In the first three to five years, invited lecturers will primarily be those with expertise in epistemology and ethics broadly conceived -- on the one hand it is hoped that this will give the lecture series a common theme and establish their character; on the other it will complement Soochow University’s Research Centre for Epistemology, Methodology, and Logic. Proposed invited lecturers are as follows:

2008：Ernest Sosa (Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University)

2009：Scott Soames (Professor of Philosophy at University of Southern California)

2010：Frank Jackson (Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University)

2011：Robert Audi (Professor of Philosophy at University of Notre Dame)

2012：Michael Slote (Professor of Philosophy at University of Miami)

2013：Duncan Pritchard (Professor of Philosophy at University of Edinburgh)

2018：Linda Zagzebski（Professor of Philosophy at University of Oklahoma）

2019：Sven Bernecker (Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Irvine & University of Cologne)

Of these, Professor Ernest Sosa accepted the invitation to inaugurate the lecture series, and had delievered his lectures in June 2008. Professor Scott Soames, Professor Frank Jackson, Professor Robert Audi, Professor Michael Slote, Professor Duncan Pritchard and Professor Linda Zagzebski had also accepted the invitation and given lectures in June 2009, 2010,2011,2012 , 2013 and 2018 respectively.

3. Publications and contents of the lecture series

Lecturers will have the freedom to choose the titles of their lectures (within the specified fields), provided that the material they present is unpublished and original. Soochow University will retain the copyright and right to publication of the material presented in the lectures.

It also seems worth considering having the lectures published as delivered as are the Aquinas lectures at Marquette and the annual Ethics lectures at the University of Kansas, or modestly supplemented. This would result in a short book, which should help to ensure the delivery of a manuscript without much delay making for a steady, regular publishing flow.

Based on this proposal we would formulate a brief letter of invitation laying out the terms, and send this invitation to some five or more prospective lecturers, attaching at the end of each letter this proposal. The invitation would be to commit tentatively to give the lectures within the next five years, under the terms specified.

Once we had several such committed future lecturers, we might then also consider inviting them to form an Advisory Board for the series, which would help determine future lecturers. This would help to ensure the high level of quality we are aiming for with this lecture series.

4. Participants in Taiwan

The lecture series will be open to the public. Soochow University will publicize the series within Taiwan through active engagement with the media (including television and print broadcasting) and ensure broad participation. An important aim of the lecture series is to give Taiwan’s young philosophers an opportunity to participate on the international stage, and become internationally recognized scholars. Thus we will be particularly keen to encourage such young scholars and graduate students to actively participate.

5. Stipends and fees

Soochow University will cover all of the invited lecturers’ travel costs, including a business-class round trip air-ticket and lodging in Taiwan. Soochow University will also retain the right to publishing the lectures as discussed above.