BY BTL STAFF
The philosophy of non-violence is the focus of Oakland University's fall 2015 Richard J. Burke Lecture in Philosophy, Religion and Society. Featured speaker Judith K. Butler will present her talk, "The Ethics and Politics of Nonviolence," at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8 in Oakland University Banquet Rooms A and B. The lecture addresses the question of whether individuals can agree on a clear distinction between violence and non-violence and, if not, what accounts for this disagreement?
Dr. Butler is Maxine Elliott Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the program of Critical Theory at the University of California-Berkley. Her many books include "Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity," considered a landmark work in gender theory, "Frames of War: When is Life Grievable?" and "Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly."
A recipient of many fellowships and honorary degrees, Dr. Butler has earned the Andrew Mellon Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in the Humanities; the Adorno Prize from the City of Frankfurt in honor of her contributions to feminist and moral philosophy; and the Brudner Prize from Yale University for lifetime achievement in gay and lesbian studies. In 2014, she was awarded the diploma of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Cultural Ministry.
Richard J. Burke, Ph.D., was the first faculty member hired at Oakland and taught at the university for 46 years. He established an endowment for the annual Richard J. Burke Lecture Series in Philosophy, Religion and Society, which has brought prominent social philosophers to campus, including Daniel Dennett, Peter Singer and Richard Falk. For more information on the Richard J. Burke Lecture series, visit http://oakland.edu/phil/burkelecture.
