Newnham Philosopher, Professor Rae Langton, will explore how philosophy can help combat prejudice when she delivers two prestigious series of lectures.
The first series is the George F. Hourani Lecture Series 2016 at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Professor Langton will begin the series on Thursday, April 20 with a lecture titled ‘How to make authority with words’.
On Friday, April 21 she will explore ‘How to make a norm with words’ and on Saturday, April 22 she will deliver a powerful lecture about ‘How to make counter-speech with words’.
Professor Langton, pictured, said: “I am inspired by the power of philosophy to help us question prejudice. This goes back a long way. Think of Socrates and his irritating questions.
“Think of Descartes, whose meditations tried to escape ‘the habit of holding onto old opinions’.
“Think of pioneer feminist Mary Astell, who saw prejudice about women as a long-standing error: and ‘Error, be it as ancient as it may, [cannot] ever plead prescription against truth’.
“Prejudice is still alive and well, and philosophy can still help.”
Professor Langton will also give the 2016 ‘Mangoletsi Lectures’ at The Mangoletsi Trust, the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, and the Centre for Ethics and Metaethics at the University of Leeds about ‘Doing and Undoing Things with Words‘.
The lectures will take place on May 10, 11, 17, and 18, from 5.15-6.30pm, in the Nathan Bodington Chamber (Parkinson Building). The first lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.
The Mangoletsi Lectures are an annual series of four lectures and they are open to all.
Professor Langton said: “Unjust things are done with words, partly because hearers and bystanders help. Sometimes we need to stop helping, for example, by blocking what speakers do.
“That can be hard, but when successful, it is a distinctive form of counter-speech—a way of ‘undoing’ things with words.”
Professor Langton is a professor of philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and taught previously at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Langton’s areas of research include History of Philosophy, Ethics, Political Philosophy, Metaphysics and Feminist Philosophy.
Read more about Professor Langton.