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How Did We Get Here?: Species

December 13, 2022 @ 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm MST

Conversation Details

In this installment of “How Did We Get Here?”, we’ll consider the idea of “species,” from Plato and Aristotle, through the Middle Ages, to Charles Darwin (of course!), and down to the present.  We’ll consider what questions each thinker was trying to answer using “species,” and why Darwin’s famous title came as such a shock to his contemporaries — why before him, few educated people would ever have thought that a species could have an origin.

Along the way, we’ll gain some useful insights into the role of ideas and abstraction in western scientific thought.  We’ll reflect on the search for stability in a changing world, as a unifying thread from Plato to Darwin, and beyond.  And we’ll cultivate a deeper appreciation for the ways that we, and our predecessors, strive to classify and categorize — both in the natural world, and in human society and culture.

When & Where

This Merlin short led by philosopher David Nowakowski will take place in the Conference Center in Reeder’s Alley on Tuesday, Dec. 13th.  No prior background in philosophy is required to participate.

Workshop Details

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 13th  
Time: 6:30pm – 7:45pm MT
Where: 101 Reeder’s Alley (Conference Center)

Registration Info

RSVP: Scroll down…
Cost: Free (Donations Welcome)
Other: Hot tea & light snacks provided. 

How Did We Get Here?

An exploration of the history of ideas

Conversation Leader

David Nowakowski is as a philosopher and educator in the Helena area whose professional work is dedicated to helping people of all ages and backgrounds access, understand, and apply the traditions of ancient philosophy to their own lives.  David began studying ancient philosophies and classical languages in 2001, and has continued ever since.  A scholar of the philosophical traditions of the ancient Mediterranean (Greece, Rome, and North Africa) and of the Indian subcontinent, reading Sanskrit, Latin, and classical Greek, he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University in 2014.  His work has appeared in a variety of scholarly journals, including Philosophy East & WestAsian Philosophy, and the Journal of Indian Philosophy, as well as in presentations to academic audiences at Harvard, Columbia University, the University of Toronto, Yale-NUS College in Singapore, and elsewhere. 

After half a decade teaching at liberal arts colleges in the northeast, David chose to leave the academy in order to focus his energies on the transformative value of these ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions in his own life and practice, and on building new systems of education and community learning that will make this rich heritage alive and available to others.

RSVP Here

Make a Donation Here

Our philosophy shorts and other activities are FREE to the community. While donations are never expected, they are always appreciated and help to keep programs like these going. Your tax-deductible donations help to cover honorariums, logistics, materials, implementation, resource archiving, and more! For those facing more challenging financial circumstances, we ask that you please try to “pay it forward” with acts of kindness for your neighbors and community.

Venue

Reeder’s Alley Interpretive & Convention Center
101 Reeder's Alley
Helena, MT 59601 United States
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Organizer

Marisa Diaz-Waian
Phone
406-439-5788
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