Building on his recent book, With the World at Heart: Studies in the Secular Today (University of Chicago Press, 2019), this seminar with Thomas A. Carlson will explore how Martin Heidegger’s well-known concern that modern technology threatens distinctively human modes of dwelling in the world is indebted to the lesser known but fundamental role that love plays in his philosophy. Highlighting the importance of religious traditions, especially Augustine, in shaping Heidegger's understanding of love, the seminar will sketch out the profound relevance of that understanding to more recent thinking—such as that of Robert Pogue Harrison and Michel Serres—about the role of love in shaping and sustaining the kinds of world that might support human dwelling in its inter-generational dimensions.
Thomas Carlson is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where his research and teaching focus on intersections among Continental Philosophy, religion and modern culture, and the history of Christian thought. He is the Founding Director of the International Center for the Humanities and Social Change at UCSB.
This event will take place at the USC School of Religion (ACB 330) from 2:00pm-5:00pm. A reception will follow on the Ito Center patio.
This Event is made possible by the support of ‘In Lumine: Supporting the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Campuses Nationwide’ (Grant #62372) from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in any publications, videos, lectures, etc. associated with this project are those of the author(s) or speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.