9-13-2016: On the Sublime in Art: Past and Present

Estelle Fonteneau, Ph.D.

This talk will explore historical concepts of the sublime and the masterpiece in art throughout history. Are these pagan and religious classics still relevant today? Is there a postmodern sublime and, if so, what does it look like and what purpose does it serve?

9-27-2016: In Defense of Plagiarism

Phillip Rosemann, Ph.D.

Presently, plagiarism is considered a capital sin in academic work. What would be worse than to copy someone's work and pretend it is one's own? Yet important questions and problems arise. Is there anything in a person's ideas that is not derivative? Therefore, is it truly appropriate to extend the concept of property to ideas?

10-11-2016: Against Statutes of Limitations

John Harris, Ph.D., Dept of Philosophy, TCU

Statutes of limitations prevent the state from bringing charges when evidence has long since been lost, destroyed, or memories have faded. I will argue that statutes of limitation are unjustified, unnecessary, and often serve to exacerbate injustices rather than prevent them.

10-25-2016: Growing a New Generation of Social Justice Activists and Agitators

Tom Perryman

Atrocities don't just happen on the other side of the world. I seek to expose people to injustice in their own backyard. It is about awareness, accountability, and action. This talk will share my work in creating two social justice courses.

11-8-2016: Are the Size and Age of the Universe Evidence against the Existence of God?

Sloan Lee, Ph.D.

Recently some scientists and thinkers have suggested that the vast size and age of the universe, which is beyond human understanding, is evidence against the existence of God. We will examine these arguments and assess the force they possess.

11-22-2016: Minds, Machines, and Morality: Ethical Realms of Artificial Intelligence

Chris Erwin Davis, Ph.D.

This talk will begin with a brief history of artificial intelligence research, beginning with the earliest days of computing machines and follow up to the present day with state-of-the-art intelligent systems. From this foundation we will explore various schools of thought that drive current research. During this section we will walk through some thought experiments and arguments proposed by the various approaches to support their hypotheses. This tour of competing ideas will touch on related topics like sentience, sapience, self-awareness, and consciousness. Finally, we look to the future to visit some potential ethical challenges we may be faced with and consider how they might be addressed.

12-13-2016: Religion in the Process

Beth Dana, M.Div.

Process thought emerged in the 20th century at the intersection of mathematical physics (the physics of becoming), philosophy, and religion. It views everything, all material, even God as " process". This lecture will explore strands of process thought in many of the world's religious traditions.