Dialogue Schedule
The Philosophy Dialogue Series will return in spring 2019.
Philosophy Dialogue Series
“... our material progress is only the foundation on which we will build a richer life of mind and spirit” – LBJ (Texas State Alumnus, ’30)
Week One: Nations and United Nations
Monday, September 17, 2018
2:00 p.m., Comal 116
Global Warming: US and International Approaches
Sustainability and Applied Ethics Graduate Students
Monday, September 17, 2018
6:30 p.m., Comal 116
Phi Sigma Tau Organizational Meeting
Phi Sigma Tau Officers
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
12:00 p.m., Comal 116
The Moral Foundations of the Constitution
Carrie Crisp, Philosophy
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
San Marcos Public Library
4:30 p.m.
Texas State Authors Series
***Appeal to the People’s Court: Rethinking Law, Judging, and Punishment
Vincent Luizzi (Philosophy)
Thursday, September 21, 2018
7:30 p.m., Alkek 250
Why We Should Value Campus Free Speech
Keith E. Whittington (Political Science, Princeton University)
(Co-Sponsored with Political Science)
Friday, September 21, 2018
11 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, September 21, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Week Two: Innovation and Values
Monday, September 24, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Innovation: Introducing the Common Experience Theme for
2018-2019
Twister Marquiss, Director of the Common Experience;
Erika Nielson, Common Reading Coordinator;
Kaylee Smith, Social Media Coordinator
Monday, September 24, 2018
7:00 p.m., Evans Auditorium--tickets (free) required
The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World
Anthony Brandt (Rice University) & David Eagleman (Stanford University), Authors of the Common Reading Book The Runaway Species
(Co-Sponsors with the Common Experience)
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Is Innovation Value Neutral?
Dialogue Class
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
7 p.m., Evans Auditorium--tickets (free) required
LBJ Lecture: Reaching for the Stars:
A Journey of Innovation
José Hernández (Former Astronaut, NASA)
(Co-Sponsors with the Common Experience)
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
11 a.m., Comal 116
The Acorn Journal Fall Symposium II
***“How to Cultivate Nonviolence in Our Personal Lives”
Val Liveoak, Alternatives to Violence Project
Honors Nonviolence Class
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
San Marcos Public Library
4:30 p.m.
The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World
(Common Experience Book on Innovation)
Erika Nielson, Reading Coordinator for Texas State Common Experience
Thursday, September 27, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Heidegger’s Perspective on Technology
Dialogue Class
Special Guest: Hunter Chambers (Philosophy, St. Mary’s University)
Thursday, September 27, 2018
7 pm, Centennial 157
3rd Annual Space Settlement Symposium
Innovation requires some constraint: upholding the United Nation’s sentiment that “no one can own outer space”
Friday, September 28, 2018
11 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, September 28, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Week Three: Dialectical Thinking and the Creative Process
Monday, October 1, 2018
2:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m., Comal 116
The Creation of Spirit Houses
Ben Livingston, Austin neon artist
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Dialectic: The Pulse of Freedom
Hafsa Anis & Riley Hertel (Dialogue Students)
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Changing the Language of Sex: Disrupting Silos of Sexuality and Re-Envisioning Dialectics of Pleasure
Panelist: Whitney May, Shannon Shaw, Meg Griffitts, Amanda Scott, Ali Salzmann (English)
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
San Marcos Public Library
4:30 p.m.
Ethical and Artistic Interpretations of Artificial Intelligence
Rebecca Farinas (Philosophy)
Thursday, October 4, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Everything Old is New Again
Marcy Garcia & Trent Oatman (Dialogue Students)
Friday, October 5, 2018
11:00 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, October 5, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Special Guest: Eric Chelstrom (Philosophy, UTSA)
Week Four: Science, Ethics, and Religion
Monday, October 8, 2018
2:00 p.m., Comal 116
Why Go to the Woods. And What to Do When You Get There
Mike Wilson (Texas State Alumnus and Austin Attorney)
Monday, October 8, 2018
3:30 p.m., LBJ Teaching Theater, LBJ 4-16.1
Ecotourism with a Hand Lens: The Invisible Journey
Ricardo Rozzi (Philosophy & Religion, University of North Texas)
Monday, October 8, 2018
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
5:00 p.m.
Integrating Ecology and Ethics: Field Environmental Philosophy Demonstration: The San Marcos River
Ricardo Rozzi (Philosophy & Religion, University of North Texas); Andrew Sansom (Geography; Director of the Meadows Center for Water & the Environment); Justin Williams (Philosophy, Texas State)
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Comal 116
AAAS Workshop: Dialogue Engaging Scientists in Science, Ethics, and Religion, Part I
12:30-1:50 Nature Spirituality and Environmental Justice
5:00-3:20 Effectively Communicating with the Public on Issues Related to Science, Ethics, and Religion
Ricardo Rozzi (Philosophy & Religion, University of North Texas);
Vince Lopes (Biology, Texas State);
Binita Mehta (Philosophy & Religious Studies, Texas State);
Will Taegel (Psychotherapist and Author);
Andrew Sansom (Geography; Director of the Meadows Center);
Rebecca Raphael (Philosophy & Religious Studies, Texas State)
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
San Marcos Public Library
4:30 p.m.
Dialectical Archetypes and the Perennial Question of Philosophy
Dylan Daniel (Texas State Philosophy Alumnus and author Formal Dialectics)
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
5 p.m., Comal 116
Texas Top 10% Rule: The Future of Automatic College Admissions
Ambassador Kaylie Hidaglo
Ambassador Christian Sears
Thursday, October 11, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Science or Scientism?
Max Blaschke, Alfred Macdonald & Isabella Jaime (Dialogue Students)
Thursday, October 11, 2018
2:00 p.m., Comal 116
Healing Our Estrangement from the Natural World: Toward an Ecology of Reverence.
Vince Lopes (Biology)
Friday, October 12, 2018
11 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, October 12, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 114
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Week Five: Artificial Intelligence and Big Data
Monday, October 15, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Big Data, Algorithms, and Self Knowledge
Anthony Cross (Philosophy)
Monday, October 15, 2018
3:30 p.m., Comal 116
Artificial Intelligence, Human Flourishing, & Communal Ethics
Philosophy and Culture Class:
Special Guest: Mark Graves (University of Notre Dame, Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing)
Monday, October 15, 2018
6:30 p.m., Comal 116
The AI Alignment Problem
Phi Sigma Tau Open Discussion
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Artificial Intelligence, Human Flourishing, & Communal Ethics
Dialogue Class
Special Guest: Mark Graves (University of Notre Dame)
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
6:30 p.m., Alkek 250
Panel Discussion: Artificial Intelligence, Spirituality Ethics, and Mental Health
Mark Graves (Computer Science & Religion, University of Notre Dame);
Dam Tamir (Computer Science, Texas State);
Kaya de Barbaro (Psychology, University of Texas)
Glen Miller, (Philosophy, TAMU)
Moderator: Rebecca Raphael, (Philosophy & Religious Studies, Texas State)
(co-sponsored by AAAS Workshop: Engaging Scientists in Science, Ethics, and Religion Dialogue)
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Let’s Talk about Cults and New Religions
W. Michael Ashcraft (Philosophy & Religion, Truman State University)
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
4:30 p.m., San Marcos Public Library
Let’s Talk about Cults and New Religions
W. Michael Ashcraft (Philosophy & Religion, Truman State University)
Thursday, October 18, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
The Church of Google
Ben Caswell & Alyse Spiechler (Dialogue Students)
Friday, October 19, 2018
11:00 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, October 22, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Week Six: Brain Science and Moral Progress
Monday, October 22, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
The Moral Values of Pain
Sean Daniel Johnson (Philosophy)
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Are Brains Morally Responsible?
Natasha Lince & Ruben Viruegas (Dialogue Students)
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
4:30 p.m., San Marcos Public Library
Did My Brain Make Me Do It?
JoAnn Carson (Philosophy) and Philosophy Graduate Students
Thursday, October 25, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Consciousness: Still Unexplained After All These Years
Mariano Garcia & Ranie Vanarsdall (Dialogue Students)
Thursday, October 25, 2018
3:30 p.m., Comal 116
Ethical Conflict Management: Improving Work-Life in the USA
William A. (Trey) Brant (Ethical Conflict Consulting, non-profit organization)
Friday, October 26, 2018
11:00 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, October 26, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Week Seven: Epistemological Hubris
Monday, October 29, 2018
1:00 p.m., Comal 116
Privilege as Epistemic Hubris
Rebecca Raphael, Philosophy Camila Jamal, International Studies, Nathaniel Rodriguez Sosa, Philosophy
Monday, October 29, 2018
6:30 p.m., Comal 116
Open Questions, Incomplete Systems, and the Limits of Knowledge
Phi Sigma Tau Open Discussion
"Has Science Stalled?"
Special Guest: Dr. Craig Swartz, Physics
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Unintended Consequences and the Precautionary Principle: Why Not Knowing We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us
Alec Hofmeister & Rodney Sustaita (Dialogue Students)
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
3:30 p.m., Comal 116
Advanced Technologies & Popular Culture
Kyle Davidson (School Semiotics & Philosophy, University of Tartu)
Dr. Aimee Roundtree (English, Texas State University)
Dr. Cat (Independent Game Designer, Austin, Texas)
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
3:30 p.m., Comal 116
Thomas Reid: Forgotten Roots of Common Sense
Jim Sala (Philosophy)
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
4:30 p.m., San Marcos Public Library
***Online Culture and Communities: Representation, Interaction, and Engagement
Kyle Davidson (Philosophy, University of Tartu, Estonia)
Thursday, November 1, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Epistemology Modesty: Lessons from Shakespeare’s King Lear
Luis Castillo & Gabe Cweigenberg (Dialogue Students)
Friday, November 2, 2018
11:00 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, November 2, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
***“Encoding race, decoding culture: Emoji as technoculture”
Phi Sigma Tau with Special Guest Dr. Miriam Sweeney (Library and Information Science, Alabama)
Week Eight: Creative Schools
Monday, November 5, 2018
2:00 p.m., Comal 116
Synthesizing Curricula: Next Level African Education
JD Hill (Philosophy)
Monday, November 5, 2018
6:30 p.m., Comal 116
Can Creativity Be Taught?
Phi Sigma Tau Open Discussion
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Educating for Democracy: Creative Public Schools
Camilla Jamal & Nathaniel Rodriguez Sosa (Dialogue Students)
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
3:30 p.m., Comal 116
Texas State Author Series: Tech Generation: Balancing Kids in a Hyper-Connected World
Jon Lasser, co-author (Education)
Thursday, November 8, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116
Releasing the Imagination: Can the Arts Save Our School?
Dialogue Class
Friday, November 9, 2018
11:00 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisp (Philosophy)
Friday, November 9, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
Week Nine: Home
Monday, November 12, 2018
6:30 p.m., Rick Roderick on “Home-y-ness” and Fascism
Phi Sigma Tau Open Discussion
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
12:30 p.m., Comal 116|
***Border Crossing: Stories of Navigating Cultural Boundaries
Dialogue Class
Special Guest: Bishop Robert Schnase (Rio Texas Conference, United
Methodist Church)
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
6:00 p.m., Comal 116
***Reproductive Justice
Moderator: Isabel Esparza, SCOPE
Yunuen Alvarado, SCOPE
Kiann Udenze, SCOPE
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
4:30 p.m., San Marcos Public Library
***Not-So-Sweet Home: Community Deliberative Dialogue on Domestic Violence
Philosophy Faculty and Personnel from the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, the San Marcos Police Department, and Batterers’ Intervention Program
Thursday, November 15, 2018
12:30, Comal 116
***Campus-wide Deliberative Dialogue on Domestic Violence
Dialogue Class
Friday, November 16, 2018
11:00 a.m., Comal 116
Political Pulse
Jenn Garcia & Carrie Crisps (Philosophy)
Friday, November 16, 2018
1:30 p.m., Comal 116
Talk of the Times
Phi Sigma Tau
# co-sponsored by #justicetalktxst
Talk of the Times, an activity of the American Democracy Project at Texas State, is a weekly open forum on current events and issues led by members of Phi Sigma Tau, the philosophy honor society.
The Acorn Symposium Dialogues are co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, the Philosophy Dialogue Series, and
The Acorn: Philosophical Studies in Pacifism and Nonviolence.
To continue conversations about these dialogue topics please download Philosophy Mixed Podcasts from KTSW.
Co-sponsors of the Philosophy Dialogue Series are American Democracy Project, College of Liberal Arts, Common Experience, Gina Weatherhead Dialogue Fund, Humanities Texas, National Endowment for the Humanities, Phi Sigma Tau, Domino’s Pizza, University Seminar, New York Times, Honors College, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Vice President for Student Affairs.
If you require an accommodation due to a disability, contact the Department of Philosophy at 512-245-2285.
Accommodation requests should be made at least 72 hours in advance of the program start time to ensure availability.
Texas State University is a tobacco-free campus.
San Marcos Public Library,
625 E. Hopkins St., San Marcos, Texas 78666
