Democracy is under siege. Our food system is insecure. Opioid addiction is sweeping the country. So where are the philosophers when we need them?
“We are right here,” answers associate professor of philosophy Tyler Doggett, who is the principal organizer for Burlington Public Philosophy, a weeklong community festival of deep discussion for the public relating to questions of the here and now. Burlington Public Philosophy began on Monday and continues with evening events through Saturday.
Doggett was inspired by a Burlington Free Press interview with the director of a local homeless shelter who commented on acute feelings of isolation and meaninglessness among homeless people in the city.
“Those are feelings we’ve all experienced to varying degrees,” explains Doggett. “These are things philosophers have worked on, things that philosophers can help with, but things that people wouldn’t know philosophers work on and help with.”
Shortly after reading the article, Doggett traveled with his family to Barcelona where he was spending a year on sabbatical. The city was hosting the Festival de Filosofia, an annual event that featured art, music, poetry readings and philosophy lectures and discussions about contemporary issues. Doggett was determined to do something similar in Burlington.
He has attracted eight philosophers from UVM and area schools including St. Michael's College, Middlebury College, Green Mountain College and the Community College of Vermont. He chose public venues to migrate conversations that typically happen on campus into the community. In the future, Doggett hopes to involve “citizen philosophers,” non-academics who bring their own study and experience to bear on questions of meaning and fulfillment.
“In the past, my public philosophical outreach has led to more purely academic, intellectual work,” Doggett said. “What started as public outreach about food ethics, for example, has turned into one of the two main foci of my research. Engaging with the general public forces philosophers to think about old issues in new ways and brings new issues to our attention.”
Conversations this week include:
Kate Nolfi
Exploring Philosophical Themes Through Children's Literature
Tuesday, April 4, 3 p.m. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington
Storytime, followed by a guided conversation about the story's themes (for children ages 6-9)
Steven Fesmire
Philosophy and Food
Tuesday, April 4, 5:30 p.m., Study Hall, 209 College St., Burlington
A lecture and discussion about moral fundamentalism and the food movement.
Patrick Standen
Socrates
Tuesday, April 4, 7 p.m., Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington
A lecture about a philosopher for our times.
Crystal L'Hote
Superintelligent Machines
Wednesday, April 5, 7 p.m., Community Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington
A guided exploration of the philosophic issues around brain enhancement.
Don Loeb
Psychological Egoism
Thursday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m., Cathedral Square Burlington
Dave Amsden and Steve Viner
Immigration
Thursday, April 6, 5 p.m., Community Room, Community College of Vermont, Winooski
Open or Closed Borders? A philosophical discussion exploring individual and community needs in the U.S. and beyond
Randall Harp
Thinking About Group Identification
Friday, April 7 at 7 p.m., Mcclure Multigenerational Center, Burlington
Loraine Besser
The Philosophy of Well-Being
Saturday, April 8, 4 p.m., Sangha Studio, Burlington