April 2017
The Maynard Adams Symposium on the Humanities The Power of Emotions in Personal and Public Life
For those planning on attending the Adams Symposium on Saturday, April 22nd, please read the following information. Additional information about the program is below the memo: Dear Participants in the Saturday Portion of the Maynard Adams Symposium for the Humanities, We are looking forward to seeing you this Saturday, April 22st at the inaugural “Maynard Adams Symposium for the Humanities: The Power of Emotions in Personal and Public Life” at the UNC Center for School Leadership Development, room 111. Please review…
Find out more »November 2017
Sweatshops and Robots: Transitions in Global Labor
In collaboration with the Global Studies Center Technological advancement and globalization are having a critical effect on employment and our global economy. Marshall Brain will discuss the effects of automation and intelligent machines as competitors with humans for employment in the labor marketplace. Peter Coclanis will explore the effects and future of global outsourcing of labor. TOPICS & SPEAKERS The Globalization of Labor: In Reverse or Full Speed Ahead? Peter Coclanis, Albert Ray Newsome Distinguished Professor of History and Director,…
Find out more »April 2018
Disagreement, Civility, and Intolerance – the 2018 E. Maynard Adams Symposium for the Humanities
The second annual Symposium in honor of the distinguished UNC philosopher Maynard Adams (1919-2003) will feature a keynote address by Jeremy Waldron, University Professor and Professor of Law at New York University. Professor Waldron is a leading international expert on issues such as torture, hate speech, theories of human equality and the concept of loyal opposition. How do we sustain democratic practices of civility and loyal opposition when people are completely convinced that they have the true position on political…
Find out more »April 2019
2019 Adams Symposium: Why is Climate Change so Difficult to Address or Stop? – Day Two
The third annual symposium in honor of distinguished UNC philosopher Maynard Adams (1919–2003) will examine the problems of climate change and environmental ethics. The keynote speaker is Philip Kitcher, John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, who argues that the humanities must engage with the ethical and political challenges of the environmental crisis that is transforming the earth’s climate. The symposium will draw upon philosophical and humanistic insights to explore these urgent questions: Why have the warnings of climate…
Find out more »March 2020
**Cancelled** The 2020 E. Maynard Adams Symposium for the Humanities: Philosophy, Prisons, and the Search for Social Justice
Unfortunately, the keynote speaker for this year's Maynard Adams Symposium, Professor Tommie Shelby at Harvard University, is unable to travel because of specific coronavirus-related travel restrictions at his University. This year's Adams Symposium on "Philosophy, Prisons, and the Search for Social Justice" (March 20-21) has therefore been cancelled. If we are able to reschedule this event later in the year, information will be posted on our website (humanities.unc.edu). The fourth annual symposium in honor of distinguished UNC philosopher Maynard Adams…
Find out more »*Postponed* The Power and Allure of Dictators
In the face of populist pressures, many nations around the world are turning to authoritarian leaders whose attachment to the liberal values of democracy, transparency, and human rights is questionable at best or outright denied. What inspires people to prefer the rule of one person over sharing power among many? By what right do individuals assume they speak for everyone? Are there common factors that lead to dictatorships or characterize how they function? To answer these questions, we will review…
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