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Jorge Garcia, professor of philosophy at Boston College, will give a lecture titled “Is Race Just in Our Minds?” 7 p.m. today in room 104 of Kirby Hall of Civil Rights.
The talk, sponsored by the department of philosophy through the Ethics Project, is free and open to the public. It is part of Lafayette’s celebration of Black History Month.
Garcia will discuss racial identity and whether one’s appearance is a genuine determinant of identity or rather a way to conveniently categorize.
“Students will learn how to think more carefully about race and not to take the notion of race for granted,” says Julie Yoo, assistant professor of philosophy. “This lecture will bring more critical thinking about race on campus.”
Garcia is the author of The Heart of Racism: Essays on Diversity, Race, and Relativism. He chairs the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Blacks in Philosophy and serves on the Board of Advisors for Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture. He has published countless articles and presented papers throughout the country. His fields of interest include ethics, history of moral theory, and black philosophy.
The Ethics Project, directed by George Panichas, associate professor and head of philosophy, involves the efforts of faculty in all divisions of the College. It fosters both an interest in and a concern for sound moral analysis and reasoning and encourages their application to a full range of contemporary problems. The project sponsors talks, seminars for faculty whose courses include ethics components, and related activities. Funding is provided by an endowment established by the late Louise M. Olmsted and her husband, Robert Olmsted.
Lafayette’s celebration of Black History Month includes a full calendar of concerts, lectures, interactive workshops, cultural presentations, and other events, as notable artists and scholars join students and faculty to honor the diversity, unity, and history that is the African American experience.