From the announcement about this public event:
What Makes a Life Significant? A panel discussion in memory of William James
Monday, April 26th, 2010; reception at 5 pm, discussion 6 – 7:30 pm
CGIS South Concourse and Tsai Auditorium
A little over a century ago, the Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James gave a public lecture entitled “What Makes a Life Significant?” In honor of the hundredth anniversary of his death and to celebrate his enduring influence, we have invited a panel of distinguished scholars to revisit the question posed in that lecture from a range of historical and contemporary starting points. What do we, in the 21st century, think “makes a life significant”? What can the academy contribute to an exploration of that question?
James Kloppenberg (Charles Warren Professor of American History) will introduce and moderate a star-studded panel that includes philosopher Sissela Bok (Senior Visiting Fellow, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies), Louis Menand (Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of English), and Cornel West (Class of 1943 University Professor at Princeton).
The panel will begin at 6:00 pm, but we invite you to join us at 5:00 pm for an “afternoon tea” reception and an opportunity to view an exhibition of rare materials from Harvard’s Houghton Library and Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments.
Venue: Harvard’s Center for Government and International Studies (CGIS) South Building, lower level (1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge MA); the reception will be held in the Concourse, and the panel discussion will take place in the Tsai Auditorium.
This has some promise to be an interesting and lively panel discussion. It is an unusual but neat way to highlight the century mark of William James ‘ passing.