For centuries, philosophers have studied why people do the things that they do, with many basing their studies on Immanuel Kant’s moral theory.
Karl Ameriks, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, will talk about morality and autonomy on November 21 when he gives the next Humanities Center Distinguished Lecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The event begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 1210 in McClung Tower.
Free and open to the public, Ameriks’ talk is titled “On Kant and Autonomy.”
He will specifically argue for a middle path between two extreme objections to the account of moral self-legislation in Kant’s most famous work, “The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.” Even 200 years after Kant’s death, his thoughts continue to influence contemporary philosophy.
Ameriks received his doctorate from Yale University and is now a McMahon-Hank Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His research is focused on the history of modern philosophy and continental philosophy.
Other guest speakers in the lecture series include:
- February 6—Stewart Shapiro, O’Donnell Professor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, “Conceptions of the Continuous.”
- March 13—David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy, University of Cambridge. Topic to be announced.
- March 25—Gail Hershatter, Distinguished Professor of History, University of California, Santa Cruz. Topic to be announced.
- April 2—Robert Darnton, Carl Pforzheimer University Professor and university librarian, Harvard University. Topic to be announced.
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C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)