Professor to Discuss Values, Personal Identity in ‘Philosophy Today’ at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Jesse Prinz, a distinguished professor of philosophy at City University of New York, will discuss values and personal identity in the second lecture of The University of Alabama’s 2014-2015 Philosophy Today lecture series.

His lecture, “A Moral Self,” will be held Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in room 205 of Smith Hall on UA’s campus.

It is free and open to the public.

Prinz is an expert on the philosophy of psychology. His research focuses on the relationship between morality and the self, the role of psychology in constructing the world, and the role of emotions in art. He has authored several books and more than 100 articles related to his research, including “Gut Reactions: A Perceptual Theory of Emotion” and “The Emotional Construction of Morals,” both published by Oxford University Press.

In his lecture, Prinz will argue, based partly on empirical findings, that values are central to personal identity. He will also discuss how values are social in nature, often deriving from the groups to which we belong.

Prinz received his bachelor’s degree from New York University in 1992 and earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1997. He is the director of the Interdisciplinary Committee for Science Studies at the City University of New York. He has held positions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University, St. Louis, and visiting positions at University College London, California Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Lectures in the Philosophy Today series are geared toward a general audience and are of interest to those in any profession or academic discipline. Philosophy Today is sponsored by the UA College of Arts and Sciences’ department of philosophy, a grant from Louis W. Perry and other alumni, and friends of the department.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.