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Jesse McCarthy, Lecture & Writing Workshop

 The Center for Philosophy, Arts, and Literature is sponsoring a two-day event with Jesse McCarthy, author of the essay collection Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?  McCarthy will speak about craft and process. There will be a public lecture on Thursday evening, February 10, a writing workshop the morning of Friday, February 11, and an informal…

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Call for papers for an OLP Paper at the NeMLA in May

 NeMLA’s 53rd CONVENTION Baltimore, MD March 10-13, 2022 Abstract deadline: September 30th, 2021 Panel: Ordinary Language Philosophy and the Ethics of Care Abstract This panel seeks papers that use Ordinary Language Philosophy (OLP) to analyze themes of ethics and care in both literature and philosophy. The attention this philosophy pays to language in its everyday use grounds it in community because the meaning of words is in their use. Individual speakers thus become relevant to the construction of meaning, which arises in use as a shared human practice. For J. L. Austin, this picture of meaning involves a sharpened awareness of words and therefore of reality. Cora Diamond calls this attention to reality, detail, and particularity in language Wittgenstein’s “realistic spirit.” Moreover, as Toril Moi explains, our words express and reveal us: the quality of our attention reveals something about our morality. The ethical dimension…

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Stanley Cavell: Constellations of the Ordinary

 Please note this fantastic colloquium on Stanley Cavell and the Ordinary, organized from Lima, Peru. Longtime PAL followers will recognize half the speakers, for they have all visited us at Duke. I believe that most of the talks will be distributed in advance. But to follow the talks and get the full schedule, you need…

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Flyer for PAL Certificate talk - Kathleen Maxymuk
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PAL Certificate talk – Kathleen Maxymuk

 Thursday, February 11, 202110:00 a.m. Please join us at 10 am on February 11 for a talk by Kathleen Maxymuk, PhD candidate in Romance Studies! The talk, given as part of the requirements for the Certificate in Philosophy, Arts, and Literature, is titled ‘The Paradoxes of the “Politique des Auteurs”: Reading Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel series…

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Stages of Life – The Second Annual Duke-Stanford Graduate Conference

 Co-Sponsored by Duke University’s “PAL” (Center for Philosophy, Arts, and Literature) and Stanford University’s “Phil+Lit” (The Initiative in Philosophy and Literature) and Hosted by The Franklin Humanities Institute at  Smith Warehouse, Duke University Friday April 5th, Ahmadieh Lecture Hall (Bay 4) of Smith Warehouse 2:00-2:30  Welcome and Mingling 2:30-2:45  Welcome: Toril Moi(James B. Duke Professor of Literature and…

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Spring 2021 Courses

 Toril MoiENGLISH 822/ LIT 822Monday(s): 3:30-6:00pmDuke University WITTGENSTEIN AND LITERARY THEORY The course offers an introduction to Wittgenstein’s late philosophy, and asks what its relevance for literary studies might be. We will focus on a detailed reading of important sections of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations. We will try to understand Wittgenstein’s vision of language, of philosophy and…

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Spring 2021 Courses

 Sarah BeckwithShakespeare, Tragedy, Ethics: The Responsibility of Response ENGLISH 890S – 02 (5668) Markos Hadjioannou, Deleuze: Cinema and PhilosophyLIT 850S – 01 (6146), VMS 850S – 01 (6183), ENGLISH 860S – 01 (6184), ROMST 850S – 01 (6185), ARTSVIS 850S – 01 (6186), DOCST 850S – 01 (6187)

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Duke Medical Ethics Journal Spring 2021 Issue

 PAL would like to promote the Duke Medical Ethics Journal, a student-run publication about ethics in medical practice. The journal’s latest issue, “Health and Identity: Who We Are and the Care We Receive,” is available online now. As co-editors Sibani Ram and Priya Meesa write, the issue focuses on “topics related to identity in healthcare,…

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Robert Mitchell, Chair of Duke English

Welcome to Robert Mitchell

 PAL is delighted to welcome Robert Mitchell, Chair of English as a new member of our Steering Committee. A stalwart supporter of PAL for many years, Rob is the perfect choice to follow in Neil McWilliam’s footsteps. We are looking forward to working more closely with him! 

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Photo of Neil McWilliams, Walter H. Annenberg Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History

Farewell to Neil McWilliam

 Neil McWilliam has been a member of PAL’s Steering Committee since its inception. We at PAL are so grateful for his sage advice for so many years. Sadly for us, Neil is retiring this summer. We wish him all the best for his Duke-free life

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