Logos, Culture, and the Commons

425 East University Drive,Tempe AZ 85281

27 April, 2023

Description

Ever since the rise of modern science in 17th century Europe, the discursive conception of reason we call logos became central to the very idea of ‘living’ in the world. In this lecture, Akeel Bilgrami will explore how the seemingly distant subject of the commons, and of its regulation by law and norm, may turn on finding an alternative to such ‘logocentrism’. This event is sponsored by the Beyond Secularization project, which is made possible by a grant from Templeton Religion Trust. The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of Templeton Religion Trust.  About the SpeakerAkeel Bilgrami (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is Sidney Morgenbesser Professor of Philosophy and a founding member of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University. Bilgrami has two relatively independent sets of intellectual interests—in the philosophy of mind and language, and in political philosophy and moral psychology, especially as they surface in politics, political economy, history, and culture. This makes his work especially relevant to questions of politics and rationality, as well as a broad set of issues ranging from secularism and identity to the effects of globalization on politics and political thought. Bilgrami’s major works include Belief and Meaning (1992), Self Knowledge and Resentment (2006) and Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment (2014), along with a series of seminal essays on religion in the modern world such as “Occidentalism, the Very Idea: An Essay on Enlightenment and Enchantment” (Critical Inquiry 32) and “What is a Muslim: Fundamental Commitment and Cultural Identity” (Critical Inquiry 18). Over the last decade, his wide-ranging interests have placed him at the center of critical debates related to culture, identity, and the world order, which has led him to edit a series of volumes, including: Democratic Culture (2013), Whose Afraid of Academic Freedom? (2015, with Jonathan R. Cole), Beyond the Secular West (2016), and most recently, Nature and Value (2020). This event will take place in the Traditions Room at the University Club on the ASU Tempe campus and will be live-streamed through the Center's YouTube page and on ASU Live.