Union College Philosophy Department

10/13/2026

All are cordially invited to the Third Speaker for the Annual Philosophy Speakers Series

Cecilia Li
Huron University at Western University
presents
The Politics of Plato’s Charmides: Socratic Self-Knowledge for Me and You

Cecilia Z. Li is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Huron University at Western University and a current Fellow at Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies.She specializes in ancient Greek philosophy, especially Plato's political philosophy. Her published work has explored justice and the expertise of ruling in Plato's Republic. At present, she is working on Plato's Gorgias and Charmides.

Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 4:30PM
Everest Lounge, Hale House
https://www.union.edu/philosophy/speaker-series

10/05/2026

Steve Schmidt and Maité Cruz are working on a grant project on character education at Union, along with a team of faculty and staff. You can read more about the project in this Chronicle article from last week: https://www.union.edu/news/stories/202609/college-receives-national-grant-advance-character-education-union

The program that gave us the grant, the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, emphasizes the importance of first talking to our community and learning about people’s interests in character education, and of any work on character that might already be happening, before trying to implement any character program or initiative. Conversations with the community are central to this project. For this year, our main objective is to facilitate those conversations and receive input from as many people as possible.

If you are interested in learning more about this project and getting involved, we strongly encourage you to attend Dr. Elizabeth Whiting’s talk on Thursday, October 22nd, at 4:30pm and the discussions we will be organizing in the Winter term. We also hope to see you at the lecture on wisdom this Fall, and the lectures on empathy and courage this Winter and Spring.

09/30/2026

All are cordially invited to the Second Speaker for the Annual Philosophy Speakers Series

Marianna Bergamaschi Ganapini, UNC Charlotte
presents
Trusting AI?

Marianna B. Ganapini is an Associate Professor at UNC (School of Data Science & Philosophy Department).Her research work focuses on trust, autonomy, and philosophy of AI. She has widely published in AI ethics and philosophy.
Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 4:30PM
Everest Lounge, Hale House

https://www.union.edu/philosophy/speaker-series

09/21/2026

POSTPONED.

All are cordially invited to the First Speaker for the Annual Philosophy Speakers Series

Rima Basu, Claremont McKenna College

presents

Just Ask the Group Chat: The Pitfalls of Algorithmic Personalization

Rima Basu is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College. Her research focuses on questions that arise at the intersection of ethics, epistemology, and philosophy of race. In particular, she argues that when it comes to what we should believe morality is not voiceless. Her work has been recognized and supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Mark Sanders Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies.

POSTPONED

Everest Lounge, Hale House

https://www.union.edu/philosophy/speaker-series

08/31/2026

Philosophy
Speaker Series 2026-2027

Thursday, September 24, 2026
Just Ask the Group Chat: The Pitfalls of Algorithmic Personalization
Rima Basu, Claremont McKenna College

Thursday, October 8, 2026
Trusting AI?
Marianna Bergamaschi Ganapini, UNC Charlotte

Thursday, October 15, 2026
The Politics of Plato’s Charmides: Socratic Self-Knowledge for Me and You
Cecilia Li, Huron University at Western University

Thursday, November 5, 2026
Maoism as Traveling Theory: Understanding Red Power Marxism during Canada’s Long Seventies
Glen Coulthard, University of British Columbia

Thursday, January 21, 2027
‘No Separate Peace’:
Interest, Identity, and In*******al Solidarity in the United Construction Workers Association
Philip Yaure, Virginia Tech

Thursday, February 4, 2027
Spatial Agency, Choreography, and Spatial Resistance
Quill Kukla, Georgetown University

Thursday, February 18, 2027
What Researchers Must Do to Be Heard:
Epistemic Labor in Integrative Research with Traditional Knowledge
Andrea Sullivan-Clarke, Indiana University

Thursday, March 11, 2027
Bad Taste as a Virtue
Matt Strohl, University of Montana

https://www.union.edu/philosophy/speaker-series

05/14/2026

05/04/2026

Union College Seniors (only)

Want to Win $50 to the Union Bookstore?

Take 10 minutes to complete this survey about your experience with writing at Union.

Five $50 gift cards will be awarded to survey participants toward the end of the spring term!

Your participation will also help us better support students and faculty in Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) courses at Union.