
This lecture will present ideas from Dr. Glen Mazis’ research that our distinctive human excellences are not the result of transcending our “animal nature,” but rather are founded upon the capacities of being an animal and part of the natural world. These excellences stem from our embodiment (versus “a nonmaterial spirit’), whether it is our capacities for thought, language, art, ethics, or care that are shared by many other animals in differing forms. Of interest to colleagues in philosophy, cultural studies, history, religion, the arts, poetics, biology, animal studies, ecology, and anthropology. Our obligation to respect both animals and the natural world as kin will be asserted.
This event is part of “Explorations: The Penn State Emeritus Academy Lecture Series,” in which retired faculty members share their groundbreaking research, creative projects, and unique perspectives with the wider Penn State community and beyond.