How Did We Get Here?: Freedom

In this installment of “How Did We Get Here?” with philosopher Ed Glowienka we considered something we all want, but can’t agree on how to get: freedom. We explored the shift between classical and Enlightenment notions of political freedom and looked at how reactions to this shift inform modern conservative and liberal values. Along the way, we did a bunch of other stuff, too, and hopefully gained a deeper appreciation of why we value freedom and of the philosophical positions underlying contemporary debates. Access photos & more here!

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Philosophy Workshop: “Ways of Knowing”

Most of us have the basic intuition that, because the truth “always is what it is”then there shouldn’t really be different “kinds” of knowing: we either know, or we don’t know, and that’s that. Knowledge, like truth, should be objective and invariable. Yet many of us also have another intuition: sometimes, there really does seem to be “something different” about knowing, or about acquiring knowledge, in different ways. In this workshop we applied some traditional tools, along with our own careful analytic skill, to see what we could salvage from both intuitions. We identified, as best we can, what each intuition gets right, as well as how they fit together in a coherent way. Critically, we learned to appreciate the difference between knowing, as an activity that we do, and knowledge, as a thing that we have. Access resources here!

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Philosophy Workshop: Ethics in the Field — A Combat Perspective

A workshop exploring just war theory, rules of engagement, and ethical dilemmas faced in combat. Led by philosopher U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and Inspector General of the Montana National Guard Charles Phillips, this gathering will involve indoor & outdoor time with hands-on activities. Learn more & RSVP here.

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Wildlife Recovery Book Launch & Community Discussion

We had a wonderful time at the Lewis & Clark Library with guest scholar Christopher Preston.  Our evening involved a blend of author readings & community discussion. Over the course of our gathering, Christopher shared insights and perspectives about the people and wildlife he encountered while researching species recoveries. His encounters with whales, wolves, sea otters, and bison – as well as the scientists that study them – suggest that better ways to think about animals are close at hand. View more here!

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Philosophy Walk: Mercy & Forgiveness

We often talk about showing mercy or forgiving those who have harmed us as something noble, praiseworthy, perhaps even necessary or required in order to behave well. But this has by no means always been the case: the ancient Romans, for example, often saw the bestowal of mercy or clemency as a sign of tyranny and despotism, and they had some good reasons for doing so. By taking some historical perspective on these issues, in this walk we’ll aim to deepen our own understanding of the scope, limits, benefits, and dangers of mercy, clemency, and forgiveness. Learn more & RSVP here!

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Philosophy Walk: Wildlife Recovery & Ethics

In this walk led by philosopher Christopher Preston, we’ll explore five questions regarding how we think about the wild. Our group will meet at the Helena Valley Reservoir and explore these questions on a walk-about totaling roughly 3 miles roundtrip with stops for conversation & more. Sunday, June 11th from 9:30am-12:30pm. Learn more & RSVP here!

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