[406] DISTINGUISHED VANDERBILT PROFESSOR TO ADDRESS CRISIS IN EDUCATION AT MTSU LYCEUM

DISTINGUISHED VANDERBILT PROFESSOR TO ADDRESS CRISIS IN EDUCATION AT MTSU LYCEUM

April 3, 2009

CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, will present a lecture titled, “Education in a Time of Crisis,” Wednesday, April 8, at 4 p.m., at Middle Tennessee State University. The program will take place in the James Union Building, Dining Room C, and it is free and open to the public.
Among the questions that Dr. Lachs will address are: What does it mean to become an educated person? What is the function of the university?
Professor Lachs is the author of many books including those on Santayana, Fichte, Hegel and Marx. In addition, he has authored works which engage the philosophical life, including The Relevance of Philosophy to Life, A Community of Individuals, The Human Search, The Cost of Comfort, and Intermediate Man.
Lachs is chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Centennial Committee, which is dedicated to supporting the private value and social usefulness of philosophy. He is a recipient of the Herbert Schneider Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Philosophy. A member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 1967, he has won numerous teaching awards both for undergraduate and graduate education, spoken frequently to both academic and community groups and is considered one of Tennessee’s true public intellectuals.
The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy at MTSU as part of its annual Applied Philosophy Lyceum. The purpose of the Lyceum is to provoke philosophical reflection by bringing distinguished scholars to the MTSU campus to address crucial contemporary issues. A discussion period and an informal reception will follow the lecture.
For more information, contact the MTSU philosophy department at 615-898-2907.