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Eunice Belgum Memorial Lectures
2010-2011
Lincoln’s Ethics: A Philosophical Assessment

Thomas Carson '72
Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago

Lincoln the Politician: Slavery, Compromise, and Moral Luck
Monday, March 7
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Viking Theater
Lincoln made many compromises with slavery. He was not an abolitionist before 1864;
he promised to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law; he rescinded Fremont’s order of partial
emancipation in Missouri; and his Emancipation Proclamation did not free people in the border states. I argue that these actions were morally justified because they were necessary in order to win the Civil War and that, in all of these actions, Lincoln opposed and limited slavery as much as possible.

Lincoln the Man and the Myth: Character, Racism, and Moral Luck
Tuesday, March 8
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Viking Theater
Lincoln’s virtues – his kindness, compassion, courage, honesty, and willingness to ignore
personal slights for the sake of the greater good – are well known. The most serious and
damning criticism of his character is the charge that he was a racist. Some hold that Lincoln was a good man with many virtues, but that his racism was a serious character flaw that considerably diminished his moral goodness. I reject the view that Lincoln’s character was seriously flawed in this way. With regard to issues of prejudice against other racial groups, Lincoln was, on balance, a virtuous and praiseworthy person. I also argue that, in some important ways, the Lincoln myth understates his goodness and virtue.


Thomas Carson '72 (left) pictured with Eunice Belgum '67 and Mark Overvold '70 at the Viriginia Philosophical Association meeting at James Madison University, October 1977.

Booksigning will take place after each lecture • Books are available in the St. Olaf Bookstore • Parking is available for visitors, faculty, and staff in the Buntrock Commons parking lot.
 Map and directions to campus

 

About the Belgum Lectures

The Belgum Lectures, now in their 32nd year, honor the memory of Eunice Belgum, who graduated from St. Olaf College in 1967. The lecture series was established in the hope that Eunice's tragic death in 1977 would not end her impact on the profession, teaching, and scholarship she loved so much. While the lectures may be on any topic, the philosophy department makes a special effort to choose topics in areas of special interest to Eunice, namely ethics, philosophy of mind, and feminism.

Eunice received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University. Her dissertation, "Knowing Better: An Account of Akrasia," was published posthumously by Garland Publishers. Upon leaving Harvard, Eunice began an exceptionally promising career in philosophy, teaching at Trinity College and the College of William and Mary. She was one of the original members of the Society for Women in Philosophy.

The lectures are supported by a fund established by Eunice's family and friends.


Eunice Belgum with her disertation director, Hilary Putnam, and colleague Georges Rey