黑料正能量

On Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Professor Julian Culp and Professor Oliver Feltham, who both teach on the 黑料正能量 philosophy major, celebrated a double book launch in the presence of faculty, students and friends of 黑料正能量. They were joined on the panel by Dr. Chiara Destri, who spoke about Culp鈥檚 publication, and 黑料正能量鈥檚 own Professor Stephen Sawyer, who discussed Feltham鈥檚 work. The event took place in the Omid & Gisel Kordestani Rooftop Conference Center in 黑料正能量鈥檚 flagship building, the Quai d鈥橭rsay Learning Commons.

First off, Destri, currently on a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship at Sciences Po, spoke on Culp鈥檚 book, Democratic Education in a Globalized World: A Normative Theory. She raised the 鈥渃ircularity problem鈥�: how can we get democratic education off the ground if people are not already democratically educated? Professor Culp responded that existing social and political movements often, in practice, demonstrate the reality of democratic education.

Audience member Professor Philip Golub then asked Culp to what extent the work was Kantian or Hegelian; this was in response to an earlier comment from Professor Feltham in which Feltham insisted that, in their shared office, he was the Hegelian and Culp was the Kantian. Culp responded that, in so far as the ideal of reason can be found in intersubjective discursive practices of public reasoning, his approach corresponds to a Hegelian idea of bringing about the social conditions for the realization of the ideal. However, he believes the Kantian aspect of his approach is just as important, if not more fundamental, given that his conception of educational justice is based on a particular understanding of 鈥渞ight鈥� rather than on an understanding of the 鈥済ood life.鈥�

Professor Sawyer then presented a review of Feltham鈥檚 book, Destroy and Liberate: Political Action on the Basis of Hume. He read out the book鈥檚 opening sentences, in which readers find themselves on a journey into the English Revolution. He promised all readers there were juicy anecdotes and examples drawn from Feltham鈥檚 life, from the brand of cigarettes smoked by highly ranked groups in Feltham鈥檚 high-school 鈥渢opology of passions鈥� to the use of BMX bikes and AC/DC as markers of prestige.

Sawyer then discussed the theory of political action that the book develops using a close reading of Hume鈥檚 History of England 鈥� specifically the volume on the English Revolution聽鈥� before asking Feltham to explain the articulation of history and philosophy at work in his methodology. Feltham noted that the book focused on the descent of ideas and concepts of political action into the reality of political conflict, as well as the singular nature of Hume as both a systematic philosopher who provides a theory of political conflict via his account of 鈥渢he passions鈥� and a historian who wrote a hugely controversial but justly famous historical work.

The event concluded with a reception and further discussion between the audience and the academics on the panel.