In this philosophy walk led by Ed Glowienka we looked at justice as through the lens of fairness, freedom/responsibility, and equity — aspects of justice explored and advanced by the late philosopher John Rawls.  While a summary of Rawls’ views were provided at the outset, as well as some of his working principles along the way, the bulk of our meandering was spent exploring, working out, expanding upon, and applying Rawls’ views in a “hands-on” way to contemporary issues. In particular, we looked at how Rawlsian thinking might apply to environmental justice and international justice.

Ed Glowienka is a Professor of Philosophy at Carroll College.  Ed grew up in Philadelphia, the son of parents who never attended college and who sacrificed significantly for his education. He went to the University of Scranton to study biochemistry, but left with a degree in philosophy with minors in German and theology. He then spent two years working with Spiritan missionaries, teaching philosophy to students from six African nations at the Spiritan Missionary Seminary in Arusha, Tanzania. Ed earned his Ph.D. from Emory University in 2013. His research is in early modern philosophy, with projects in both metaphysics and moral philosophy.

In addition to teaching and research, Ed chairs the committee at Carroll College responsible for implementing the new core curriculum at Carroll. He is the author of Leibniz’s Metaphysics of Harmony and has twice co-directed a seminar for teachers funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities called “Re-Enchanting Nature,” which  explores how the humanities can deepen our understanding of nature in a way that complements the sciences.

Thank you to our generous community donors for helping to support this walk and our philosophy in the community programs, to our walk guide — Ed — for leading us through our discussions, and to our walk participants who raised such fantastic questions and helped to make the day a success.  Thank you also to Mother Nature for offering up such splendid Fall weather and to Mike Chapman for capturing photos of the day.