Phronesis to continue fairness lecture series

Representatives from UH Hobby Center for Public Policy and students from the Phronesis Politics and Ethics Honors College Program invited Thomas Hurka, scholar of moral and political philosophy, to speak on fairness in today’s society ranging from economic issues, education and taxes.

Chancellor Henry N.R. Jackman, distinguished professor of Philosophical Studies at the University of Toronto, will be the second speaker in the series of lectures “What’s Fair? On Justice and Desert in America” to be held at 5 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the Honors College Commons. He will share his perspective with students and relate it to the upcoming presidential election, said Susan Collins, co-director of the Phronesis Program in the Department of Political Science and The Honors College.

“We established the lecture series ‘What’s Fair? On Justice and Desert in America’ in part because the question of fairness is so much at stake in the current Presidential lecture and a question of dispute in our society. We are bringing in scholars and public intellectuals who not only can present different opinions about what’s fair but also can do so from different disciplinary perspectives,” Collins said.

“Our first lecturer Paul Woodruff, a well-known scholar of Ancient thought from UT Austin, took us back to an extraordinary play by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles’ “Ajax” to discuss questions of reward and merit. Tom Hurka will begin from more contemporary thinkers to take up similar questions.”

Hurka will be speaking about whether one should be rewarded for working hard or for contributing to society, according to the Honors College website. Hurka is also an integral part of the Phronesis Program, said Safa Ansari-Bayegan, a political science and philosophy senior and phronesis minor.

“The Phronesis fellows read an article by Hurka titled ‘Desert: Individualistic and Holistic’ and discussed this paper at length, and although it was a complicated argument to follow, it proved to be a fruitful discussion,” Ansari-Bayegan said.

The Phronesis Program and minor in the Honors College focuses on ancient political works and relates them to current social and economic issues, said Diego Cervantes, economics senior and phronesis minor.

“Phronesis, in Greek, refers to practical wisdom, the quality that distinguishes good citizens and political leaders,” Cervantes said. “We study ancient and modern texts to understand and develop our own political wisdom and become individuals who can see past the debates you might see on TV to be independent, responsible, and articulate citizens and leaders.”

The series will end with a lecture from Ruth Grant, professor of Political Science and Philosophy, on Nov. 30.