Noted author, political philosopher Fr. James Schall lectures in IWP class
Posted: Monday, March 12, 2012
On March 8, 2012, the noted Jesuit priest, teacher, and political philosopher Father James V. Schall delivered a guest lecture in Dr. David Klocek's course, Western Moral Tradition and American Foreign Policy, at The Institute of World Politics.
Fr. Schall, a longtime advocate and spokesman for the traditional Western conception of the core curriculum and its role in higher education, is Professor of Government at Georgetown University. He is the author of more than 30 books and a regular contributor to numerous periodicals. In his lecture at IWP, he discussed classical political philosophy, beginning with its roots in Socrates. He noted that the immortality of the soul is necessary if there is to be justice in the cosmos, and continued the discussion by commenting on both Aristotle's Ethics and Politics. Fr. Schall discussed the virtues listed by Aristotle and emphasized that the primary act of the mind is the contemplative act. He concluded by taking questions and making several book recommendations, including works by Henry Jaffa and Leo Strauss.
In the absence of Dr. Klocek, Fr. Schall was introduced by IWP's Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Charles Smith.
Alberto M. Piedra
