The Capstone Lecture Series: What Are They, Who Are They For?

On Thursday, October 16th, the Humanities Capstone Lecture series kicked off with Dr. Doug Al-Maini, professor of philosophy. Garnering an audience of roughly 50, his talk titled “Protagoras: Democratic Apologist,” asked the question: can the democratic and techne (Greek term meaning technique or specialization) mindsets be harmonized? While most Greek thinkers say “no,” Dr. Al-Maini believes Protagoras says “Yes.”

Dr. Al-Maini walked us through the general argument of teaching the specialization of democratic practices on a wide scale, so that the population will be more inclined to hold positions in democratic institutions themselves. The main take away for modern audiences is this: that no matter who you are — whether it be a police officer, janitor, store clerk, or teacher — you too should be an active participant in democracy, opposed to being another passive observer. Actions such as sitting on town/university committees, attending council meetings, and asking questions to those who are in elected positions, help foster a more democratic and free space for everyone.

“I totally believe that … part of the education of a good democratic citizen is engaging with other democratic citizens” says Dr. Al-Maini. “That was part of the point I was trying to make, that Protagoras thinks that everybody engages in the education of other citizens. So, it’s a thing that collectively happens.” When asked about the modern audience take away, Dr. Al-Maini said “[Protagoras’s] view of the modern world would be that right now, it seems there’s a lot of things that are keeping us from teaching each other how to be good democrats … social media would be the obvious culprit here. It has an effect of isolating people and keeping them from actually engaging with each other in a way that is conducive to participating in a democracy.”

In its own way, the lecture was a practice in democracy. During a roughly 30-minute question period which followed the talk, audience members raised questions, opposing views, and challenges about the lecture. And that, to me, is one of the defining features of the Capstone Lecture Series. By attending a talk, you get information on things you may not have known, are able to ask questions to an expert, and engage in academic traditions. Along the way you can sharpen your skills of critical thinking, public speaking, and more.

When asked about the impact of the Capstone Lectures, Quincie Grant — a third-year political science and philosophy student — said, “not only is it putting the Humanities Colloquium on the map, but I think any talks on philosophy are helpful to the populace no matter what. … The goal of the university is to create meaningfully virtuous people, and I think these talks are just a by-product of that. I don’t think StFX would be the same without them.” When asked more specifically about the talk itself, Quincie said “I agree with Dr. Al-Maini that even if you don’t feel that your contribution is as insightful as another’s, it is just as valuable … in a truly democratic society. […] I think that the values of technique and democracy have … already been harmonized through the idea of a representative democracy.”

“If we are going to have students that are educated in a liberal arts fashion, who are going to be cultivated intellectuals, then they have to see this other side of university” says Dr. Louis Groarke, professor of philosophy, “which is intellectual discussion, which goes beyond just studying for exams.”

Dr. Steven Baldner is a coordinator of the Capstone Lecture Series, and professor of philosophy. “[The Capstone Lectures] have been very successful. [They] are now really the only regular lecture series in Arts. […] We wanted the Capstone Lectures to be a kind of a social event … we wanted to show students that a public lecture is a chance to raise questions, to challenge, to get explanations. Which is a big thing for a first-year student… but every year students have risen to the occasion. It’s a contribution to the whole intellectual life of the university.”

The Capstone Lectures were started for the Humanities Colloquium and offer four educational lectures per year from experts on multiple topics covering four time periods (Ancient, Mediaeval, Modern, and Contemporary). Everyone is welcome, students and non-students alike. The next lecture is on November 27th at 7:30 p.m. from Dr. Gerjan Altenberg, professor of religious studies.