Students to Present at Philosophy Conference

The University of Scranton’s chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the international honor society in philosophy, will host the second annual undergraduate philosophy conference March 2 and 3 on campus. The Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Conference, which is presented free of charge and is open to the public, will feature a keynote presentation by Peter van Inwagen, Ph.D., the John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, as well as selected student presentations.

A highly-regarded philosopher of metaphysics and religion as well as the philosophy of action, Dr. van Inwagen will discuss “Does Ought Imply Can?” at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 2, in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Dr. van Inwagen is the author of numerous articles published in academic journals as well as nearly a dozen books. His latest book “Thinking about Free Will,” published in 2017 by Cambridge University Press, examines moral responsibility and free will in the context of causal determination. Students in the honor society read this book and invited him to provide the keynote address at the conference.

Students selected to present papers include three University of Scranton students and three students from other colleges. Scranton students presenting are: Michael Powell of Conklin, New York; Anne Kennedy of Conshohocken; and Erica Westlake of West Chester. The three other students presenting are: John Mayers, William Patterson University; Daniel Shussett, Gettysburg College; and Benjamin Slightom, Ball State University.

All conference presentations are free of charge and open to the public. For additional information, contact Andrew LaZellla, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and moderator of the Phi Sigma Tau honor society chapter at Scranton, at 570-941-7757 or email andrew.lazella@scranton.edu.