We are thrilled to announce that our program, “Philosophy: What Is It Good For?”, has been selected as a Montana Conversations program by Humanities Montana for 2019.
Our 2018-2019 Philosophy Symposium Series “The Environment, Ethics & Stewardship” looked at numerous philosophical issues & perspectives related to ethics, the environment, and conservation stewardship, ranging from public vs. private land (including individual rights, collective rights, indigenous rights, other); landowner/steward-wildlife and habitat relationships, and; current & future environmental/conservation challenges. At this symposium, six panelists from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds focused on the first of these three areas of discussion and spoke for 7-10 minutes each. Then the forum was opened up to free-flowing audience-panelist Q & A. Access audio-video, photos & more here!
Philosophers of the ancient world consistently describe understanding ourselves and our place in the wider world as one of the first steps toward living well. In this 3-hour workshop led by scholar and special guest, David Nowakowski, PhD, we’ll look at some of insights provided by Ancient Greek thinkers concerning questions of self, free-will, responsibility, happiness, and more. Select readings and activities inspired by the Epicurean, Stoic, and Platonist traditions will be examined and applied with the aim of introducing participants to a variety of philosophical perspectives on “knowing thyself” and practical tools for living well.
Sponsored by the Carroll College Philosophy Department and Merlin CCC, this evening program will be an informal conversation about different understandings of the Islamic faith and Middle-East Islamic culture. Guest participants will be provided with set questions/topics, not as a debate, but rather as an illuminating conversation. Barry Ferst (Professor of Philosophy, Carroll College) will be serving as the moderator and will aide in directing discussion.
We had a marvelous time on our annual Halloween Hayride-Philosophy Walk for kids! And this year we were granted fantastic weather by Mother Nature. Inspired by philosopher Thomas Nagel’s famous “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” (and Halloween, of course), this year we explored the world through the eyes of four different creatures: a bat, a dinosaur, a bird, and an octopus! Check out pictures & all the things we explored here!
In this month’s think & drink, we assessed our current belief systems and city structure, and then looked at numerous local grassroots solutions to help address some of the challenges of homelessness based on these. We also considered some causal factors of homelessness (relative to larger scale responses) and some of the ethical dilemmas surrounding the policing of homelessness by asking what the role of police is/ought to be and what sorts of things cities can do to be of help. Below are some of the questions we asked, as well as examples of multi-functional grassroots ideas that other cities have implemented as one part (of a larger set) of responses to homelessness. Learn more about what we discussed and access resources here!
We had a great time on our October Philosophy Walk on Sunday, October 7th. Our group enjoyed lovely weather, conversation, and a leisurely hike on the Tubbs Trail with special guest speaker, biomimicry specialist and civil engineer, Marie Z. Bourgeois. Our topic of choice: nature, biomimicry & virtue ethics!
In this month’s Philosophy Think & Drink, we continued our discussion on the moral dimensions of homelessness, first, by diving a bit deeper into the concepts of ‘home’ (and homelessness) by way of an appeal to ‘connection’ and ‘belonging’ (or lack thereof) and, second, by examining three common approaches to homelessness. Learn more about what we discussed and access resources here!
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Learn more about our 2024-2025 special public philosophy project on homelessness.
Want to help bring a new program to the Helena & Mountain West communities? Our Community Hubs project is an innovative vision for public humanities that re-centers community as a place of learning. Learn more about our vision & how you can help support it here!
Think philosophy is impractical, pointless, out-of-reach, or irrelevant? Think again! Want to know more about what philosophy involves
(or what it doesn't) and how it can help you find your way?
