Just got back from the Northwest Ancient Philosophy Workshop at the University of Victoria. Good workshop. Long days, yes, but good workshop. Can't wait for next year!
I also served as the external member on an MA oral exam committee at UVic. Weird being on the other side of one of those, but I liked being part of the decisions. And I really liked feeling like I belonged on that side of things!
... and it was an interesting bit of Aristotle being discussed, so that was a nice bonus :)
Meanwhile, school is starting... I'm hoping to do another trip to the Seattle Japanese Garden for my Freshman Seminar on knowledge and beauty. Maybe a guided tour of the garden itself this time?
I've also secured tickets to Stephen Greenblatt's talk at Town Hall. According to that link, Greenblatt "examines how... one manuscript, plucked from 1,000 years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it."
That manuscript? Lucretius' poem On the Nature of Things. Philosophy! Huzzah!
Curious? The New Yorker ran a nice article, but it's behind their pay wall (psst, hey you—let me know if you're interested & I can loan you our copy). And NPR aired a discussion just yesterday: why don't you give it a listen?
I'm trying to expand my horizons this year by including some more recent (20th Century!) philosophical discussions of beauty. Found a promising piece on feminism and aesthetics my Mary Devereaux. Being the 20th Century, the discussion touches on film... And now I wonder: should I show a film? What would I show? And would I have to provide popcorn?
The second question is tough, but as to the first, well, Devereaux mentions one of my favorites, so here's a possibility:
Finally, speaking of beautiful things, I absolutely love this photo that Emily's uncle posted on Facebook the other day:
©1987 Scott Hughes - All Rights Reserved www.hughesphoto.net
Hope school has gotten off to a good start for you.
ReplyDeleteLove that photo of Emily!
Mom D.