First Principles 2007

• Introduction
• Main topics, seminar leaders, and readings
• Guest sessions
• Enrollment info
• APPLICATION FORM

Introduction

What are the fundamental principles and premises that inform and guide human behavior at both the individual and societal levels? Does ethical theory have an objective basis and, if so, how can we come to know and understand it?

The Seminar on First Principles offers a unique opportunity to examine these and other issues through study and interaction with scholars renowned for their work in the fields of philosophy and politics. The seminar will bring together university students and noted authors and lecturers in the kind of small-group, focused setting that is ideal for an in-depth discussion of these topics. Professional students, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates are invited to apply.

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Main topics, seminar leaders, and readings

The Seminar on First Principles consists of a sustained, two-week course. This year's topics are:

"Thomism and Political Liberalism"

and

"Fundamentals of Bioethics"

Dr. Thomas D’Andrea will lead the seminars on Thomism and Political Liberalism. Professor Christopher Tollefsen will lead the seminars on Fundamentals of Bioethics. Readings in the area of Thomism and Political Liberalism will include works by Jacques Maritain, Yves Simon, Alasdair MacIntyre, and John Rawls.

Dr. Thomas D’Andrea
Fellow, Wolfson College, Cambridge University
Dr. D'Andrea holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and is the author of Tradition, Rationality, and Virtue: The Thoughts of Alasdair MacIntyre (Ashgate Press, 2006). He has published articles in ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion, and his current research interests are in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition in moral and political philosophy, particularly in relation to varieties of liberal theory.

Professor Chris Tollefsen
Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of South Carolina
Professor Tollefsen holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University and he has published in the areas of meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Having taught philosophy in Ghana, he now teaches at the University of South Carolina. He has edited the collection John Paul II's Contribution to Catholic Bioethics (Springer Press, 2005) and has recently finished a book length project titled The Ethics of Inquiry: A Basic Goods Approach.

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Guest sessions

In addition to the main seminar, additional sessions will examine the application of natural law thinking to contemporary issues. These sessions will be:

“The Concept of Public Morality” (1 session)
Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University.

“Natural Law, God, and Human rights” (1 session)
Robert P. George

“Moral Theory and Public Education: The French Origins of the Debate” (3 sessions)
Carolina Armenteros, British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cambridge University.

“Schiavo and the Bioethicists: 'Amicus' to Whom?” (1 session)
Daniel Robinson, Philosophy Faculty, Oxford University; Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University.

(Title to be announced) (1 session)
Hadley Arkes, Edward N. Ney Professor of Jurisprudence and American Institutions, Amherst College.

“Civic Education: Traditional and Liberal” (3 sessions)
Geoffrey M. Vaughan, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus.

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Enrollment information

Enrollment is open to professional students, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates. The seminar begins at 9am on Monday, July 30th and ends at 4pm on Friday, August 10th. Check-in will begin in the afternoon of Sunday, July 29th, and check-out will be completed by 12 noon Saturday, August 11th.

Deadline: The application deadline is May 1st.

Cost: The fee for the seminar is $400.00. This includes tuition, room and board, and incidental seminar materials. It does not cover books, transportation, or other incidental expenses. There are a limited number of partial, need-based scholarships available.

Location: The seminar will be held at Princeton University. Students will stay in campus suites.

How to apply: Any student interested in attending should submit the application form (available here), a resume, and an essay of 500 words explaining why you wish to participate in the seminar. We also require one faculty letter of recommendation, submitted by the writer directly to the Witherspoon Institute. All materials should be sent to:

John Doherty
jdoherty@winst.org
609 688 8779

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Updated February 22, 2007