WMU Home > About WMU > WMU News

WMU News

Lecture addresses Darwinism and the meaning of life

March 11, 2007

KALAMAZOO--Dr. Arthur Falk, professor emeritus of philosophy at Western Michigan University, will speak on "Darwinism and the Meaning of Life" at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in the Brown and Gold Room of the Bernhard Center. His talk is presented by the WMU Center for the Study of Ethics in Society and is open to the public free of charge.

Falk maintains that Darwinism does provide the material for individuals to construct the meaning of their lives, once they understand their situation in the world. Darwinism does that even when it is constrained to consist merely of theses that follow biological science. But, Falk asserts, this modest Darwinism leaves open the question whether that meaningfulness includes a place for religion, which remains a choice each society and each individual in that society must make.

Falk has published two books and dozens of articles on the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of science in distinguished scholarly and popular journals. One article was recognized as among the 10 best philosophy articles published in 1985.

Two extended stays in India as a lecturer led to the publication of his lectures there, "Darwinism and Philosophical Analysis." Falk earned his doctoral degree at Yale.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/wmu/news