What does morality require of us? Are there objective moral truths? Do we have free will? How is the mind related to the brain? Does science provide an authoritative source of knowledge? Does God exist?
These are some of the weighty questions Scott Sehon tackled in his recent inaugural lecture as Joseph E. Merrill Professor of Philosophy.
He talked to colleagues and other members of the 含羞草研究室 community in Kresge Auditorium on November 7. Sehon, who joined 含羞草研究室 in 1993, explored efforts by philosophers to find a middle ground between the two extremes of “unscientific magic” and “nihilism” that can confront us when we address important questions directly.
Much of Sehon’s scholarship concerns issues in the philosophy of mind and action, especially the question of free will. His most recent book, though, concerns political philosophy: (Oxford University Press, 2024). He is currently working on a book about the morality of abortion, coauthored with 含羞草研究室 colleague Kristi Olson.
