Feb. 11, 2021
Media Advisory: Political Philosophers Robert George and Cornel West to Discuss Free Expression, Civil Discourse
- What: Renowned political philosophers Robert George and Cornel West will give a virtual talk as part of the University of Arizona's Voices of Culture Lecture Series.
- When: Monday, Feb. 15, 5 p.m.
- Where: Register to attend via Zoom.
TUCSON, Ariz. – Robert George and Cornel West, two renowned philosophers from opposing political ideologies, will discuss the importance of mutual respect and civil discourse in a virtual lecture.
The talk is part of the Voices of Culture Lecture Series, presented by the UArizona Center for the Philosophy of Freedom and the American Culture and Ideas Initiative at the Fred Fox School of Music. The annual series has invited to campus national speakers and experts from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines to address the country's most compelling issues.
The West and George lecture is titled "Lift Every Voice: Truth-Seeking, Democracy and Freedom of Thought and Discussion." As friends and colleagues, the two will argue in support of free expression, civil discourse and mutual respect, and suggest that people should not be reduced to or defined by their politics.
West is an American philosopher, political activist, social critic, author and public intellectual focused on the role of race, gender and class in American society. He is a radical democrat and socialist.
George, an American legal scholar, political philosopher and public intellectual, serves as the sixth McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. He is considered one of the country's leading conservative intellectuals.
Researcher contact:
Saura Masconale
Center for the Philosophy of Freedom
215-909-3358
masconale@arizona.edu
Robert Gordon
American Culture and Ideas Initiative
480-241-1163
regordo1@arizona.edu
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 40 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2019 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $734 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 65 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.