Lee University will welcome Dr. Peter Lawler on Friday, March 20, at 5:30 p.m. for a lecture titled “The Blessing of Technology as an Intricate Trial of our Free Will.” The event, hosted by Lee’s Department of History, Political Science, and Humanities, will be held in Rose Lecture Hall in the Helen DeVos College of Education.
Dr. Lawler, the Dana Professor of Government at Berry College in Rome, Ga., has spent much of his academic career attempting to reveal the philosophic underpinnings of modern policy and American culture. He serves as executive editor of the journal Perspectives on Political Science, and has been chair of the politics and literature section of the American Political Science Association. Dr. Lawler also served on the editorial board of the new bilingual critical edition of “Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America.”
Dr. Lawler has written or edited 15 books and over 200 articles and chapters in a wide variety of venues. He was the 2007 winner of the Weaver Prize in Scholarly Letters, and served on President George W. Bush's Council on Bioethics from 2004-2009, where he was asked to discuss the moral and philosophical ramifications of technology on health, such as stem cell research, cloning, eugenics, abortion, and euthanasia, among others.
"Since Dr. Lawler’s time on the council, the intersection of technology and human life has been of particular interest to him, especially our frequently futile attempts to use technology to alleviate moral problems latent in the human condition," said Dr. Thomas Pope, assistant professor of political science at Lee. “His talk on Friday will likely address such concerns.”
This event is sponsored by the Charles Koch Foundation, established in 1980 by Charles G. Koch in order to advance social progress and well-being through the study and advancement of economic freedom.
Dr. Lawler will lead a question and answer session after the lecture. Everyone is welcome to attend, and refreshments will be served following the event.
For more information, contact the Department of History, Political Science, and Humanities at 614-8137.