Digest Week 3 Hilary Term 2024

Taunton Talk 

'Wittgenstein, and What Language Can Teach Us about Ethics'

Speaker: Michael Wee

Michael Wee is Associate Research Fellow at the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, a Catholic research institute based in Oxford, where he is leading a project on ‘Advance Decisions and Ethical Choices’. He is also a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. He has published on the ethics of human enhancement, end-of-life decisions, and pandemic lockdowns. In addition to bioethics, he also works on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Elizabeth Anscombe on moral absolutes and her reading of Aquinas’s natural law. He recently submitted a PhD thesis in Philosophy, entitled ‘Action and Necessity: Wittgenstein’s On Certainty and the Foundations of Ethics’, at Durham University. In the more distant past, he gained an MSt in English Literature at Wolfson College, Oxford.

Time/Date: Saturday 27 January at 12noon

Venue: Grandpont House, Abingdon Road, Oxford OX1 4LD

The Taunton talks, convened by Dr Paul Shrimpton, are intended to appeal to students who wish to engage in serious thinking beyond the confines of the tutorial and are motivated by the pursuit of truth.

They touch on pressing topics of the day as well as on perennial questions about the world and how to lead the good life, providing a forum for robust discussion in an informal setting where these topics can be dealt with honestly and deeply. The talks are aimed at bringing together undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Oxford to foster an atmosphere of open discussion and interdisciplinary learning.

The timetable is as follows:

12:00 - Talk starts

12:45 - Discussion

13:30 - Optional buffet lunch

The talk may be of interest to any undergraduate or postgraduate students studying either philosophy or linguistics, though all are welcome. The buffet lunch costs £5, and the number of lunch guests is restricted to 12. Please contact Alex Norris at alexander.norris@sjc.ox.ac.uk to be added to the mailing list and to book a place at lunch.

Annual Uehiro Lecture Series in Practical Ethics

'The Persistence of Racism in Liberal Societies: Education, Health Care, and Policing'

A series of three public lectures, by Professor Howard McGary (in-person only).

Lecture 1: Monday 29 January 2024, 4:30pm - 6:15pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre, Continuing Education, Rewley House, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA.

Professor Howard McGary (Rutgers University) is Distinguished Emeritus Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and he has taught at the University of Arizona and the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research and teaching fields include: social and political philosophy, African American philosophy, and normative ethics.

His research focuses on theories of compensatory justice, collective responsibility, and distributive justice, especially as these theories relate to the circumstances of persons who have experienced prolonged discrimination and subjugation. He has also examined the justness of health care distribution in the United States. He is especially concerned with the plight of people who receive fewer health care benefits even though they have greater health care needs. McGary explores the normative implications of this fact. He is also interested in developing philosophical accounts of the virtues, in particular, forgiveness. Finally, he has been exploring philosophical themes found in the works of prominent African American social and political thinkers in the 19th Century, especially Frederick Douglass.

Professor McGary serves on the editorial boards of the following publications: Encyclopedia of Ethics, The Journal of Ethics, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, The Philosophical Forum, and Social Identities. He is the Founder and Director of the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy. His publications include: My Larger Education, Howard McGary (editor and introduction), Booker T. Washington (author), New York: Humanity Books, 2004; Race and Social Justice, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999; Social Justice and Local Development Policy (Robert Mier with R.P. Giloth, K.J. Moe, L. Alpen, B. Harrison, H. McGary, Jr., I. Sherr, T. Vietorisz and W. Wiewel), Sage Publications, 1993; Between Slavery and Freedom: Philosophy and American Slavery (with Bill E. Lawson), Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992, and numerous essays in journals and edited volumes.

Professor McGary has presented numerous lectures at colleges and universities in the United States and Abroad. He has held the following professional offices and positions: Executive Committee, American Philosophical Association (APA); APA Eastern Division Program Committee, Chair, APA Committee on Blacks; Vice-President New York Society for the Study of Africana Philosophy; and he has served on the New Jersey Governor’s Character Education Commission, State of New Jersey. He was the Founder and Director of the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy.

Booking is now open for in-person attendance on Bookwhen.com (please register for each lecture separately). All are welcome to attend these free lectures.

Annual Uehiro Lecture Series in Practical Ethics

'The Persistence of Racism in Liberal Societies: Education, Health Care, and Policing'

A series of three public lectures, by Professor Howard McGary (in-person only).

Lecture 2: Wednesday 31 January 2024, 4:30pm - 6:15pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre, Continuing Education, Rewley House, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA.

Professor Howard McGary (Rutgers University) is Distinguished Emeritus Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and he has taught at the University of Arizona and the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research and teaching fields include: social and political philosophy, African American philosophy, and normative ethics.

His research focuses on theories of compensatory justice, collective responsibility, and distributive justice, especially as these theories relate to the circumstances of persons who have experienced prolonged discrimination and subjugation. He has also examined the justness of health care distribution in the United States. He is especially concerned with the plight of people who receive fewer health care benefits even though they have greater health care needs. McGary explores the normative implications of this fact. He is also interested in developing philosophical accounts of the virtues, in particular, forgiveness. Finally, he has been exploring philosophical themes found in the works of prominent African American social and political thinkers in the 19th Century, especially Frederick Douglass.

Professor McGary serves on the editorial boards of the following publications: Encyclopedia of Ethics, The Journal of Ethics, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, The Philosophical Forum, and Social Identities. He is the Founder and Director of the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy. His publications include: My Larger Education, Howard McGary (editor and introduction), Booker T. Washington (author), New York: Humanity Books, 2004; Race and Social Justice, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999; Social Justice and Local Development Policy (Robert Mier with R.P. Giloth, K.J. Moe, L. Alpen, B. Harrison, H. McGary, Jr., I. Sherr, T. Vietorisz and W. Wiewel), Sage Publications, 1993; Between Slavery and Freedom: Philosophy and American Slavery (with Bill E. Lawson), Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992, and numerous essays in journals and edited volumes.

Professor McGary has presented numerous lectures at colleges and universities in the United States and Abroad. He has held the following professional offices and positions: Executive Committee, American Philosophical Association (APA); APA Eastern Division Program Committee, Chair, APA Committee on Blacks; Vice-President New York Society for the Study of Africana Philosophy; and he has served on the New Jersey Governor’s Character Education Commission, State of New Jersey. He was the Founder and Director of the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy.

Booking is now open for in-person attendance on Bookwhen.com (please register for each lecture separately). All are welcome to attend these free lectures.

Oxford Jurisprudence Discussion Group

'A New Theory of Privacy'

Speaker: Stephen Pethick (Kent)

Dr Stephen Pethick, Senior Lecturer, Director of Education, and LLB Director of Studies at the University of Kent, presents the third paper of Hilary Term 2024, "A New Theory of Privacy".

Date/Time: Thursday 1 February 5-7pm

Privacy is a concept in disarray – no-one can agree what it is. Yet one answer has been largely overlooked: privacy is freedom from intrusion. In this paper I argue the merits of this account, showing that existing proposals suffer in comparison for failing to attend carefully, or at all, to the distinction between what is private, and what privacy is. This inattention has prompted accounts and definitions of privacy that are unsurprisingly partial, esoteric and so, divisive, leaving many to conclude that privacy is elusive, evanescent, fuzzy, and possibly resistant to definition altogether. Shorn of the methodological oversight, freedom from intrusion emerges as a properly general, clear account of privacy that fits our linguistic phenomena and so, as it happens, already commands everyone’s implicit assent.

Venue: Arthur Goodhart Seminar Room, University College. The Room is located in Logic Lane and can be accessed from High St. or Merton St. without having to go through the main entrance to University College.

Pre-reading is desirable and strongly suggested, but not a requirement to attend.

If you want to receive the papers we discuss in our seminars join our mailing list by sending a blank email at jurisprudence-discussion-group-subscribe[at]maillist.ox.ac.uk.

This event is open to anyone. No registration needed.

Annual Uehiro Lecture Series in Practical Ethics

'The Persistence of Racism in Liberal Societies: Education, Health Care, and Policing'

A series of three public lectures, by Professor Howard McGary (in-person only).

Lecture 3: Friday 2 February 2024, 4:30pm - 6:15pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre, Continuing Education, Rewley House, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA.

Professor Howard McGary (Rutgers University) is Distinguished Emeritus Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and he has taught at the University of Arizona and the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research and teaching fields include: social and political philosophy, African American philosophy, and normative ethics.

His research focuses on theories of compensatory justice, collective responsibility, and distributive justice, especially as these theories relate to the circumstances of persons who have experienced prolonged discrimination and subjugation. He has also examined the justness of health care distribution in the United States. He is especially concerned with the plight of people who receive fewer health care benefits even though they have greater health care needs. McGary explores the normative implications of this fact. He is also interested in developing philosophical accounts of the virtues, in particular, forgiveness. Finally, he has been exploring philosophical themes found in the works of prominent African American social and political thinkers in the 19th Century, especially Frederick Douglass.

Professor McGary serves on the editorial boards of the following publications: Encyclopedia of Ethics, The Journal of Ethics, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, The Philosophical Forum, and Social Identities. He is the Founder and Director of the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy. His publications include: My Larger Education, Howard McGary (editor and introduction), Booker T. Washington (author), New York: Humanity Books, 2004; Race and Social Justice, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999; Social Justice and Local Development Policy (Robert Mier with R.P. Giloth, K.J. Moe, L. Alpen, B. Harrison, H. McGary, Jr., I. Sherr, T. Vietorisz and W. Wiewel), Sage Publications, 1993; Between Slavery and Freedom: Philosophy and American Slavery (with Bill E. Lawson), Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992, and numerous essays in journals and edited volumes.

Professor McGary has presented numerous lectures at colleges and universities in the United States and Abroad. He has held the following professional offices and positions: Executive Committee, American Philosophical Association (APA); APA Eastern Division Program Committee, Chair, APA Committee on Blacks; Vice-President New York Society for the Study of Africana Philosophy; and he has served on the New Jersey Governor’s Character Education Commission, State of New Jersey. He was the Founder and Director of the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy.

Booking is now open for in-person attendance on Bookwhen.com (please register for each lecture separately). All are welcome to attend these free lectures.