Philosophy & Religion Forum Returns for Spring 2021 Semester

Fri, 01/22/2021 - 01:18pm | By: David Tisdale

The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Philosophy & Religion Forum features three speakers for the spring 2021 semester in online formats addressing issues ranging from racism, the relationship of media and conspiracy theories, and ways of understanding mysticism and psychosis. These lectures are free and open to the University community and general public.

“I'm excited about this spring's speaker line-up,” said Dr. Amy Slagle, associate professor in the USM Philosophy and Religion program and organizer of the forum. “We have three creative scholars joining us (via Zoom) to discuss these timely topics, and I hope the ideas shared in these lectures spark deeper conversations across campus and the Hattiesburg community more widely.” 

The Philosophy and Religion Forum spring schedule is as follows:

*Tuesday, Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Adam Kotsko, visiting assistant professor in the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College, will present “Racism and Original Sin.” His research focuses on political theology, continental philosophy, and the history of Christian thought.

*Tuesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Erik Davis, a journalist, scholar, and author of High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies (MIT Press), will present “Archonology: Myth, Media, and Gnostic Conspiracy.”

*Friday, April 9 1 p.m.

Dr. Wouter Kusters, a Dutch philosopher, linguist, and author of the recently translated, A Philosophy of Madness: The Experience of Psychotic Thinking (MIT Press), will present “Mystics and Psychotics: About the Search for a Religion without Tradition, for a Time without History.”

The lectures will be available at the following link: 

Topic: Philosophy & Religion Forum

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/5220445031?pwd=NjIyMEtOYlFKZldSRm4vMGZhdlR6UT09

Meeting ID: 522 044 5031   Passcode: Forum

The Philosophy & Religion Forum is an ongoing lectures series made possible with generous support from the Fairchild Lecture Funds and the School of Humanities. For more information, contact Dr. Slagle at a.slagleFREEMississippi.