The Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture, in conjunction with the Henry Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World and the Dean of the Faculty's Office, will host a three-day conference at CMC on Monday, June 16 through Wednesday June 18 examining Secularism and the Enlightenment. Free and open to the public, the conference will be held in Founders Room, Bauer North.
Fifteen scholars, including CMC Assistant Professor of Government George Thomas, will present papers devoted to a particular Enlightenment author or test and discuss their relevance to the theme.
Schedule of Events
Monday, June 16
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Panel I
Christopher Lynch, Carthage College Machiavelli
John Alcorn, Trinity College Giacomo Leopardi
Dean DiSpalatro Concordia Bayle's Machiavellianism
Tuesday, June 17
8:15-10:15 a.m.
Panel II
Svetozar Minkov, Roosevelt University Bacon's Essays
Nasser Behnegar, Boston College Locke on Property
Brian Glenn, Emerson College, Origins of Commercial Insurance
10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Panel III
Benjamin Story, Furman Montaigne, Essays
John T. Scott, UC Davis Rousseau, "Confession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar."
Jean Marc Kehres, Trinity College Diderot, Entretien d'un philosophe avec la mar?chale
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Panel IV
David Janssens, Tilburg University The Spinoza controversy in Germany: Jacobi and Lessing
Alan Arkush, SUNY Mendelssohn, Jerusalem
Jeffery High, CSULB Schiller, "The Gods of Greece"
Wednesday, June 18
9-11:30 a.m.
Panel V
Ralph Lerner, Univ. of Chicago Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
George Thomas, CMC James Madison,
Memorial and Remonstrance
Alice Behnegar, Boston College Tocqueville,
Democracy in America
The Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC) was established in 2005 to advance understanding of the role of secular values and the process of secularization in contemporary society and culture. Nonpartisan and multidisciplinary, the Institute conducts academic research, sponsors curriculum development, and presents public events. It has sponsored course development grants at The Claremont Colleges over the past two years on the themes of The Pre-modern Roots of Secularism and Secularism and the Enlightenment. Grants are again available this year for courses that consider the Global Impact of Secularism.
The ISSSC has a global research agenda and aims to develop strong international links. In the teaching sphere innovative courses are being developed on secularism and secularization at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including curricula, bibliographies and syllabi. The Institute serves as a forum for civic education and debate through lectures, seminars and conferences.
For more information: www.trincoll.edu/secularisminstitute/