Bodaken Philosophy Symposium

Workshops & Discussions

Bodaken Philosophy Symposium

A 1973 graduate of CSU’s Department of Philosophy, Bruce Bodaken has sustained through a highly successful life and career his fascination with philosophy that blossomed during his years as a philosophy major at CSU.  Bruce, who recently retired as President, Chairman, and CEO of Blue Shield of California, kindly has donated funds to the Department so that it may yearly, over the next five years, conduct a symposium that will engage not only department students and faculty in cutting-edge philosophical discussions but also attract community members to philosophical discourse that contributes to the betterment of our society.  The aim is to conduct a philosophy workshop in the fall semesters that centers on participation and contributions by Philosophy graduate and advanced undergraduate students and the offering of a thematically related public lecture in the spring semesters that will endeavor to engage a broad audience from across the CSU and Northern Colorado communities.  In each case, fall and spring, the department will engage leaders in their areas of specialization of philosophy from across the nation and world, bringing them to campus so that they may share their learning and insights relative to critical current issues with members of the local student, faculty, and professional communities.

Spring 2024: Democracy & Political Polarization 

Divided Democracy: Polarization, Hate Speech, and the Future of America
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Lory Student Center Theatre

Democracy faces many challenges. Our commitments to equality and free expression—fundamental to the democratic project itself—are being challenged and rethought along polarized ideological lines. Can we overcome our conflicts and restore faith in democracy?

Please join us and visiting scholars Robert Talisse, Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, and Seana Shiffrin, UCLA Professor of Philosophy and Pete Kameron Professor of Law and Social Justice, to discuss the promises and challenges to U.S. democracy.