The Carroll College Department of Philosophy and Merlin CCC invite you to look at death-related grief as experienced by individuals and professionals within the community, integrating the contributions of art, literature, and science into a broad, unified philosophical and humanistic understanding.  In the process, we’ll consider questions about mortality, expressions, and functions of grief.

April 19 Event

Our symposium will be held in the evening on Wednesday, April 19th at The Helena Avenue Theater and feature guests panelists Krys Holmes, Tim Holmes & Ashby Kinch. In addition to guest speakers and interwoven performance, the symposium will include ample time for Q & A with our guest scholars, facilitated by Merlin Student Scholar Fellow, Julianna Breit. Currently in her second year as the Merlin Student Scholar Fellow, Julianna Breit is a senior at Carroll College, double-majoring in Biochemistry and Philosophy and minoring in Neuroscience. Find out more and register

May 3 Event

We’ll follow that two weeks later (on Wednesday, May 3rd) by a supplemental exploration of the practicalities and “business” of death, as prompted by the documentary “A Certain Kind of Death” (via New Philosopher Magazine’s public domain digital platform).  Here, we’ll consider questions about preparation, meaning, and community, especially for those who have died (or are dying) with no next of kin.  Our film & community conversation will be held in the evening in Reeder’s Alley Convention Center. Find out more and register

The Carroll College Department of Philosophy encourages you to attend these events.

About the Philosophy series

In this dynamic philosophy series we’ll look at what it means to be at the interface of loss and legacy. We’ll ask two central meta-questions: “How do we think about grief?” and “How do we think about our ancestors?”

Each question could stand on its own. But by considering them together, in the ways that we actually encounter them – not as separate events, but rather, as intimately connected and mutually informative experiences – our symposia series recognizes the challenges (and skills) involved in navigating this unique space between the ways that we think about (and “handle”) loss and the ways that we think about (and “address”) legacy.

In addition, while there are many ways to approach these questions, we’ll conduct our examination through the lens of philosophy, offering a particular set of tools by which to consider loss and legacy – not as the set of tools but rather as a set that can take us to some different places than other tools might.

The series will consist of two main events (one in Spring and one in Fall) and two supplementary events, each of which will bring to the fore a note that is present but less dominant in the main gatherings. The main events will be panel-style symposia featuring guest speakers and a facilitator. The supplemental events will involve a film and community conversation.

All events in the series are free and open to the community. Find out more and register