Peter Bolland

No two names are more associated with the influential ethical theory of Utilitarianism that Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and his protégé John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). Attempting to bring scientific rigor to the messy business of morality, Bentham and Mill left a lasting legacy in the way we govern and legislate our collective decisions, and navigate our personal moral calculations. Learn how Utilitarianism made modern rights movements possible, including women’s rights, animal rights, and the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Whether you know it or now, you may already be a utilitarian.

Algerian-born philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) firmly rejected the label “existentialist” his whole life. Nevertheless, his work stands as its most heartfelt expression. Through the rubble of the Russian revolution, WWII, the Holocaust, and the nuclear bomb, Camus helps us chart a course toward a life of meaning and value. Life, Camus argues, is fundamentally absurd, and we will not find any meaning or purpose in it, other than that which we impose upon it ourselves. Join us for a study of Camus’s bracing but ultimately inspiring work.

If empathy is the ability to understand and feel the feelings of another, how is it different from sympathy? Is empathy innate or is it learned? Was our capacity for empathy selected by Darwinian evolution as a desirable trait that enhances our survival? Or was empathy built into human nature by a benevolent Creator? Why do some people seem to have so little of it, while others effuse empathy through their every pore? What role does the consciousness of empathy play in the establishment of moral norms, and even our political stances? And what’s up with Narcissists and psychopaths? Join us for this fascinating and timely investigation into the nature of empathy.