Event

Reading & Discussion Series: Exploring the Republic

Why is it worthwhile to act justly, even if we could “get away” with injustice? Doesn’t the successful thief or tyrant have a life that’s attractive and enviable? How does the kind of society that we live in shape our character, values, and attitudes as individuals? Is it even possible to be a healthy person, in a society that’s profoundingly sick and unbalanced? Over the winter and early spring, we’ll be exploring these and other main themes from Plato’s Republic. For 5 every-other-Wednesday sessions, we’ll balance our time and attention between close reading of Plato’s text, and considering the implications of Plato’s arguments for our own lives and times. Learn more & RSVP here!

Reading & Discussion Series: Exploring the Republic

Merlin Community Scholar Fellow in the Paper with His Article on Wolf Conservation

Congratulations to 2019 Merlin Community Scholar Fellow, Thomas Baumeister, for making the paper with his research and writing project on the democracy of wolf conservation. Prompted by bills currently being proposed in Montana that will decide the fate of wolves for years to come and the democratic process of conservation, Thomas asks us to consider the role of adaptive management and pragmatism (over blind ideology) and engaged citizenry(so that the ends do not justify the means) in wolf conservation. The article went live on the Merlin website on Friday, February 8th, was submitted for consideration as an op-ed to the Helena Independent Record on the same day, and appeared as a featured “guest view” article on-line and in print on Wednesday, February 13th.

The Democracy of Wolf Conservation

No other species on this planet elicits stronger emotions in us than the wolf. This should come as no surprise. After all, it’s the wolf which has been in our presence the longest, it’s the wolf with whom we’ve shared our ancestral dwellings and whose descendants we keep as pets today, and it’s the wolf who has shaped our humanity and our relationship to wildness like no other. In this article, 2019 Merlin Community Scholar Fellow Thomas Baumeister, discusses the role of adaptive management, pragmatism, and engaged citizenry in wolf conservation.

August 2017 Philosophy Walk (The Democratic Institution & Machiavelli)

Our August Philosophy Walk took place on Sunday, August 20th at Dump Gulch and featured special guest speaker/philosopher-on-trail, Carroll College student Jacob MacDuff who explored a critical & very timely topic — i.e., the democratic institution. A small crew of 4 — we set off for a hike, took in…

The Modernity of Aristotle’s Political Philosophy

Think that the political philosophy of Aristotle is out-dated? Think again. In this article, Matt Qvortrup — Professor of Political Science at Coventry University — explores the surprising modernity of Aristotle’s works & its relevance to current day politics. When thinking about government, for example, consider Aristotle’s claim in The…

Philosophy is For Everyone

Should philosophy be confined to the walls of academia or accessible to everyone? Scott Samuelson, Professor of Philosophy at Kirkwood Community College, explores this topic and discusses how philosophy is more than just “the stuff of ivory towers” and why it is so important. In a nutshell, he claims that…