"Cogito, Ergo Sumus? The Pregnancy Problem in Descartes's Philosophy.”

The Philosophy Department in collaboration with the Department of Gender & Women's Studies and the UK Gaines Center for the Humanities is hosting our second undergraduate talk of the semester! Monday, October 9th, join us in Chem-Phys Bldg Rm 153 at 3pm!  Maja Sidzińska from University of Pennsylvania is speaking on “Cogito, Ergo Sumus? The Pregnancy Problem in Descartes's Philosophy.””

Abstract:

Given Descartes’s metaphysical and natural-philosophic commitments, it is difficult to theorize the pregnant human being as a human being under his system. Specifically, given (1) Descartes’s account of generation; (2) his commitment to mechanistic explanations where bodies are concerned; (3) his reliance on a subtle individuating principle for human (and animal) bodies; and (4) his metaphysics of human beings, which include minds, bodies, and mind-body unions, there is no available human substance or entity that may clearly be the subject of pregnancy. The incompatibility of any of the three options found in commitment 4 with commitment 1, 2, or 3, together with other undesirable consequences should any be selected, results in what I call the pregnancy problem. The pregnancy problem is a previously unconsidered problem for the Cartesian philosophy. Given the pregnancy problem, commitment 1, 2, 3, or 4, or a combination of these would have to be revised for Descartes’s system to avoid a variety of tensions; alternatively, counterintuitive consequences may have to be accepted. Ironically, given Descartes’s interest in generation and medicine more generally, the Cartesian framework struggles to accommodate pregnancy in human beings. This may have implications for the systematicity and sex-neutrality of dualist metaphysics in general. 

Maja

 

Date:
Location:
Chem-Phys Bldg Rm 153

Queering Community & Kinship in Educational Spaces: A Symposium in Honor of Mel Lesch

Registration for this event is required.  Please register here to attend in person:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqFmZauo7L1nLq21P2R8aSZvqK6XhXjCSmbrt_vndX1kM2-g/viewform

You can also attend by zoom:  https://uky.zoom.us/j/81138477526 

Schedule
8:30 to 9:00 AM: Registration

9:00 to 10:30 AM: Panel 1 - Remembering Mel Lesch and their work
Speakers: Dr. Shawna Felkins, Dr. Charlie Zhang, and Dr. Karen Tice
Moderator: Kirsten Corneilson

10:30 to 11:00 AM: Refreshment Break @ Alumni Gallery

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM: Panel 2 - Mutual Aid and Community
Speakers: Dr. Miles Feroli, Lee Mandelo, Lukas Bullock, and Atticus White
Moderator: Shawna Irissarri

12:30 to 1:30 PM: Reception @ Alumni Gallery

1:30 to 2:45 PM: Keynote Session
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sayan Bhattacharya
Moderator: Shruthi Parthasarathy

2:45 to 3:00 PM: Refreshment Break @ Alumni Gallery

3:00 to 4:00 PM: Awarding of Honorary Degree

Symposium flyer

Date:
-
Location:
Young Library Auditorium

In Memoriam: Mel Lesch

We are mourning the extremely untimely passing of Mel Lesch: our dearly beloved student, tireless scholar, dedicated activist, all too appropriately described by their friends as “human sunshine.”

We would like to share some tributes and student comments about Mel.

Tributes:

UK faculty share summer reads to get lost in

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2023) — Are you looking to get lost in your next summer read but don’t know where to start?

We asked the University of Kentucky community to recommend books they feel would make good additions to anyone’s reading list.

In the descriptions below, faculty members across various colleges and disciplines share the novels they can’t put down. Pulling from the worlds of history and fiction — their picks explore timely themes while providing intriguing insights.

Subscribe to