News & Events 2012

On Feb. 21 in Fayerweather 115, Alexander George, professor of philosophy at Amherst College, presented the first of three lectures in the 2011-2012 Romanell-Phi Beta Kappa Professorship Lecture Series, “Reason and Religion.” For some background about the lectures, read a brief interview with Professor George.

The first lecture was titled “An Everlasting Check: Hume Against Miracles.” Professor George is introduced by Amherst College President Biddy Martin. See the accompanying handout for this lecture.

On Feb. 23, Alexander George presented the second of the “Reason and Religion” lectures, “Truisms, Falsehoods and Double Standards: Everyone Against Hume.” See the accompanying handout for this lecture.

On Feb. 28, 2012, Alexander George presented the third and final lecture in the “Reason and Religion” series, “The Crowd of Thoughts Stuck in the Exit: The Consolations of Wittgenstein.” See the accompanying handout for this lecture.

December 6, 2012

Over the past year leading up to the recent elections, many pundits and politicians framed the contest as a crossroads for our nation—a clear choice between two different paths for America. Six billion dollars and one election later, the United States is left with a status-quo government and a fresh set of challenging questions: What is the future of the Republican Party? Can our republic survive a two-party system? How can our leaders put politics aside and create an environment in Washington, D.C., that allows for bipartisanship and practical solutions to the serious issues we face?

Michael Steele is introduced by George Tepe ’14, president of the Amherst Political Union.

December 6, 2012

2012 marks the 20th anniversary of On Our Own Ground: The Collected Works of William Apess, a Pequot (University of Massachusetts Press, 1992), edited by Amherst College Professor Barry O’Connell. Since the publication, Apess has emerged as “an intellectual beacon” (Robert Warrior, The People and the Word) for the 21st century, an indigenous intellectual and political visionary who is even now enabling scholars, students, tribal leaders and activists to envision strategies for revitalization, resistance and survival. Watch video of the symposium, including talks by Robert Warrior (Osage), director of American Indian studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jean O’Brien (Anishinaabe), chair of American Indian studies, University of Minnesota; and Ramona Peters, tribal historic preservation officer, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe; and a special address by Barry O'Connell, Amherst College.

This event was sponsored by the Department of English and the Dean of the Faculty at Amherst College.

September 7, 2012

Renowned author, speaker and activist Bill McKibben popularized the term “global warming” and founded 350.org, the online network that hosted history’s largest environmental protest. Heralded in 2012 by Time magazine as “one of environmentalism's most powerful voices,” McKibben was the subject of a recent front-cover article in The Boston Globe Magazine entitled “Can This Man Save the Planet?” He spoke in Johnson Chapel at Amherst College on September 7, 2012.