“Being Human: An Academic Path to the Good Life”
Tue, Sep 17
|Austin Institute
In this reading group, taking our cue from the volume, we will explore what it means to be human. We will look at some of the great statements on the basic objects of human desire, whether it makes sense to desire perfection, and whether it makes sense to want to be immortal.
Time & Location
Sep 17, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Austin Institute, 3298-3200 Fairfax Walk, Austin, TX 78705, USA
About The Event
About this seminar:
In the 2000s, the President's Council on Bioethics published a volume entitled Being Human, which consisted of a selection of readings from great texts on different dimensions of humanity. New developments in bioethics promised to change the very nature of the human body and, therefore, of what it means to be human. In other words, the nature and limits of being human seemed to have become negotiable—we might be able to choose to change those things.
But are such fundamental changes desirable? Are there human goods that they might unknowingly eradicate? To answer that question properly, we require a more complete understanding of what it means to be human. This volume was assembled to clarify some of the most important dimensions of that and to educate students and readers on the basic issues of humanity.
In this reading group, taking our cue from the volume, we will explore what it means to be human. We will look at some of the great statements on what the basic objects of human desire are, whether it makes sense to desire to be perfect, and whether it makes sense to want to be immortal. We will discuss whether the goods we appreciate in our ordinary lives--family, friendship, study, health, enjoyment, dignity--depend on a finite, mortal human nature and how the way we think about those goods changes when we confront the possibility of breaking at least some of those limits.
In brief, the group is intended as a first philosophic inquiry into the good life.
About the Seminar Leader:
Dr. Erik Dempsey is one of UT's most beloved lecturers, as well as a lifelong learner. Assistant Director of the Thomas Jefferson for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas at UT Austin, Dr. Dempsey is interested in understanding human virtue, and the proper place of politics in a well-lived human life, the different ways in which human virtue is understood in different political situations, and the ways in which human virtue may transcend any political situation. Inside and outside of the classroom, this is truly what he most cares about. In addition to being an excellent scholar, he is one of the greatest mentors young students can find at UT. The seminar attendees are in for a treat!