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St. Olaf to present Annual Belgum Lectures

David Gonnerman '90
October 11, 2006

St. Olaf College will present the 28th annual Belgum Lecture Series Oct. 11 and 12 in Holland Hall 501. This year's topic is Episodic Ethics, presented by Galen Strawson, a distinguished professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Strawson will present his first lecture, "Remorse, contrition, regret, guilt, conscience, responsibility," Oct. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. He will present the second lecture, "Loyalty, vengefulness, resentment, hatred, friendship, gratitude," Oct. 12 at 3:45-5:45 p.m. Both lectures?each of which can be understood on its own?are free and open to the public.

StrawsonLarge
Galen Strawson will present this year?s two Belgum Lectures will address episodic ethics.
Strawson?s primary research interests include metaphysics, philosophy of mind, Kant, the British empiricists and ethics. His most recent book is Consciousness and Its Place in Nature: Why physicalism entails panpsychism (Imprint Academics, 2006). Three other works by Strawson are noted for having introduced original ideas and arguments to the world of philosophy: Mental Reality (MIT Press, 1995), The Secret Connexion: Realism, Causation, and David Hume (Clarendon Press, 1989) and Freedom and Belief (Clarendon, 1986).

Strawson also has written numerous scholarly articles and published essays and reviews in such publications as the New York Times Book Review, and the Times Literary Supplement, where he has served as editor.

In addition to his post in New York, Strawson is on the faculty at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Prior to that he was fellow and tutor in philosophy at the University of Oxford, and held visiting positions at New York University, Rutgers University and the Research School of Social Sciences at Australian National University. Strawson received his degrees from Cambridge University and Oxford University and studied at the Sorbonne.

The Belgum Lecture Series was established to honor the memory of Eunice Belgum, a 1967 St. Olaf alumna. After St. Olaf, Belgum went on to earn a doctorate in philosophy from Harvard University and began a promising career in philosophy, teaching at Trinity College and the College of William and Mary until her tragic death in 1977. In hopes of keeping Belgum?s memory and her impact on philosophy alive, the lectures tend to be on topics that were of special interest to Belgum, namely ethics, philosophy of mind and feminism.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.