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Plato’s Republic and the Meaning of Justice
June 5, 2021 @ 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
A Distinguished Scholar Webinar featuring Geoffrey Sayre-McCord
Many people are raised to think that virtue is its own reward and that they ought to do the right thing because it is right, not because they hope for some reward or fear some punishment. In Plato’s The Republic, Glaucon and his brother Adeimantus mount a powerful case for thinking we should reject these views. They were raised to accept them, and indeed do, but they are worried that they have no good arguments for the views they accept, and they see good arguments for rejecting them, so they ask Socrates for help. This seminar will begin with an exploration of their arguments and the challenge they pose. Then we will examine Plato’s broad account of justice and its implications for what it takes to be a just person and, ultimately, what is so valuable about being a just person.
Geoffrey Sayre-McCord is Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and director of the UNC Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program. He has published extensively on moral theory, epistemology, and modern philosophy, and he was awarded the 2019 Philip L. Quinn Prize from the American Philosophical Association for “service to philosophy and philosophers, broadly construed.”
TOPICS
Why Be a Just Person? The Challenge
What Does It Take to Be a Just Person?
On the Value of Being a Just Person
TUITION
This Adventures in Ideas webinar is a virtual event. Tuition is $40, which includes “admission” to the webinar in real time (with live Q&A) as well as access to the recorded talks to watch at your leisure for up to 2 weeks after posting. Registrants will receive instructions for accessing the event online by 4pm on June 4.
**Save money by purchasing a SUMMER PASS to all summer programs (except Great Books) for only $125 ($100 for GAA members).**
Register here or call us at 919.962.1544.
Online registration closes at midnight the night before the event. For same-day registration, please call our office at 919.962.1544.
Co-Sponsored by the General Alumni Association.
For information about GAA discounts and other scholarships available to Humanities Program participants, click here.
Tuition is complimentary for any currently teaching, full time K-12 teachers. If you are eligible, click here to register. Complimentary teacher registration closes at 4:30 pm the Friday before the event.