Most students don’t opt to attend philosophy lectures in their spare time.
However, there was an overwhelming turnout for Drs. Jorge and Laura Garcia, who visited as the first part of the Ethics, Religion and Society (E/RS) Lecture Series this semester.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jorge promptly began his lecture entitled “Racism under Ethical Analysis” after a brief introduction from philosophy professor Michael Sweeney, Ph.D.
Jorge examined several contemporary accounts of racism in conjecture with his own.
In the last 10 years he has written a series of articles on what he calls a “volitional account of racism.”
“The project itself…is somewhat controversial,” Jorge said, summarizing the lecture, writings and perhaps the field on the whole.
The evening concluded with a session of questions from students, professors and members of the community that probed his account from multiple angles.
At 3 p.m. on Friday, Laura’s lecture, “A Feminist Defense of Male/Female Complementarities,” focused on a brief outline of feminism and a defense of the fifth wave of thinking, person-centered feminism.
She upheld the most recent concept, which embraces the inherent differences between men and women on a metaphysical level and seeks to find harmony in the interactions between the sexes.
When the Friday session drew less of a crowd than Jorge’s, Laura jokingly mused, “I’m trying not to take offense at that.” She seemed to capture both talks in a single sentence, saying, “No human is more human than another.”
Jorge completed his undergraduate work at Fordham University and his graduate work at Yale University.
He works primarily with normative ethics and moral theory, and he has written extensively on race and racism in the last decade.
His wife did her undergraduate studies at Westmont College and received her doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.
She specialized in natural theology and metaphysics and she has examined bioethical implications and societal roles for women in her writings.
Both are currently professors at Boston College, and have been working together for about 30 years, according to Jorge.
The next installment of the E/RS series is scheduled for Feb. 28. William Wagner from the Catholic University of America will lecture at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Kennedy Auditorium and Cintas Center, respectively.
More information can be found at www.xavier.edu/ers/lecture-series.cfm.