NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ Musicians want to have it; religions try to save them.
"It" is soul. But if you had to define it, what IS soul?
On
Thursday, Sept. 9, Vanderbilt University philosophy professor Lenn E.
Goodman will give his inaugural lecture as Andrew W. Mellon Professor
in the Humanities in Room 126 of Wilson Hall on the Vanderbilt campus.
The 4 p.m. lecture is free and open to the public.
His topic will be "What’s in a Soul?"
Goodman
says he wants to reinvigorate the concept of soul, "to breathe some
life back into language and a way of seeing what in many quarters has
long been given up for dead."
Goodman will break down the components of the soul and argue that each must be developed.
"Souls are made, not merely born," he says. "In an important sense, souls are to be won."
Goodman
earned his doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University. He is a
specialist in metaphysics, ethics, Jewish and Islamic philosophy. His
books include On Justice (Yale University Press), Islamic Humanism
(Oxford University Press) and God of Abraham (Oxford University Press).
Goodman
has taught at Vanderbilt since 1994. He was named Andrew W. Mellon
Professor in the Humanities in January.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
Jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu