Public Lecture Addresses Divided America in Moral, Political and Philosophical Terms

The differences that separate people in this country are difficult to reason about, whether they deal with abortion, the Second Amendment, taxes, health care, social programs or military interventions.

Do we just accept those differences, or do we search for mutual understanding and truth in each case? A public lecture this week addresses one way it might be possible to — if not agree — be able to live comfortably with our differences.

As part of the 2018 Horizons of Phenomenology scholarly conference at UC Merced, John J. Drummond, the Robert Southwell S.J. Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and the Humanities at Fordham University in New York, is giving a lecture entitled “Navigating Moral and Political Disagreements: A Phenomenological Reflection.”

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Drummond argues that the nature of rationality itself reveals that people should begin by cultivating virtues such as intellectual humility, generosity and charity, and use them in debates or discussions to facilitate finding the common ground of larger objective moral truths from which to discuss differences in specific details.

The lecture begins at 7 p.m. Friday April 27, in Kolligian Library Room 232.

Drummond has edited or co-edited seven collections of articles on phenomenology — the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience — including the recently published “Emotional Experiences: Ethical and Social Significance.”

For more information or to reserve a seat, email Professor Jeffrey Yoshimi at jyoshimi@ucmerced.edu.

Faculty, Students and Guests Perform Two Spring Concerts

UC Merced Global Arts Studies Program presents two free spring concerts, “Songs of Spring,” featuring original music and selections from each of the performers' musical backgrounds, including Brazilian and Latin music, jazz, blues, Nordic tunes and musical theater, performed by Global Arts Studies faculty members, students and guest musicians.

The performances are offered at 7 p.m. Friday, April 27, at the Multicultural Arts Center, 645 W. Main St., Merced, and at 7 p.m. Friday, May 4, at the Lakireddy Auditorium on the UC Merced campus. Both are open to everyone.

The eclectic mix of music includes songs by Jobim, Agustin Lara, Radiohead, Villa-Lobos, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Freddie Hubbard, Tito Puente and others.

Faculty performers include vocalist Jenni Samuelson, saxophonist Jayson Beaster-Jones, flutist David Kaminsky, pianist Patricia Vergara, guitarist Paul Gibbons and guest musicians Carlos Caro, a sought-after Cuban percussionist, and David Hofland on bass.

UC Merced students from the swing band directed by Beaster-Jones; other faculty members such as Nella Van Dyke from sociology; a staff member, Rico Johnson; and a Merced conga drumming group will also make guest appearances.

For more information, call 209-228-2453 or email pvergara2@ucmerced.edu.

This story was originally published April 26, 2018 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Public Lecture Addresses Divided America in Moral, Political and Philosophical Terms."