Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar to speak at Stetson University

DaveSchmidtz copyPhi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar David Schmidtz, Ph.D., pictured right, Kendrick Professor at the University of Arizona in philosophy and economics, will give a series of talks during his visit to Stetson University Jan. 29-30.

A specialist in ethics, environmental philosophy, rational choice and political philosophy, Schmidtz holds a courtesy appointment in the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at Eller College of Management. He is editor of the Social Philosophy & Policy journal, which examines the philosophical underpinnings and the economic, political and legal dimensions of enduring social policy debates. He is the Freedom Center’s founding director, and was named National Phi Beta Kappa Scholar in Philosophy for 2014-15.

After graduating from the University of Arizona in 1988, he spent the next six years as a professor at Yale. He has published over five books on topics, such as environmental philosophy, economic analysis, rational choice and ethics. He was named the John Stuart Mill Professor at the University of Hamburg in the fall of 2014.

“It’s an honor for our campus to be chosen as a host for one of the Society’s Visiting Scholars,” said Professor of English Grady Ballenger, president of Stetson’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. “We look forward to Professor Schmidtz having a full experience of the rich intellectual life of our campus.”

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest undergraduate honors organization in the United States, the website states. In 1982, Stetson was the first private university in the state of Florida to be awarded a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. The Society has pursued its mission of fostering and recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences since 1776. The objectives of liberal learning espoused by Phi Beta Kappa include not merely knowledge but also intellectual honesty, tolerance, and a broad range of intellectual interests.

The three following events are open to the public, at no charge:

  • Lecture titled “On the Pretense of Consent,” – 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, in the duPont-Ball Library, room 25L. The library is located at 134 E. Minnesota Ave., on the DeLand campus.
  • A discussion titled “Society is Not a Race,” part of Phi Beta Kappa’s “Deliberating about Things that Matter.” Friday, Jan. 30, at 9 a.m. in the faculty lounge of the Carlton Union Building (first floor), 131 E. Minnesota Ave.
  • A Philosophy Club-sponsored discussion titled, “What Teachers Owe Students,” Friday, Jan. 30, at 3 p.m. in the faculty lounge of the Carlton Union Building.

For more information, please contact Melinda Hall, assistant professor of philosophy at Stetson University, and vice president of Stetson’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, at 386-740-2507, or email [email protected].

by George Salis