Free at Last
This sculpture stands in the midst of Boston University’s Marsh Plaza as a memorial to the life and work of one of BU’s most famous students of philosophy and religion, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Fall Semester 2022 Lecture Series: The End of the University
This year’s lecture series explored the end of the university: What, if anything, is the purpose or goal of the university? What should it be? Is the university headed toward closure and collapse?
What does its role in and relation to economic crises, political battles, and cultural conflicts have to do with all this?
Finally, how do visions of the university’s telos relate to its future – whether disintegration, renewal, or something else besides?
Videos of all lectures are
Past Lectures
September 13, 2022
Why Does Racial Inequality Persist?
Dr. Glenn Loury, Brown University
Watch Lecture Video | Watch Q&A Video
October 4, 2022
The Epistemic Commons
Dr. Hrishikesh Joshi, Bowling Green
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October 25, 2022
Deflection, Value-Capture, and the Permanent Crisis of the Humanities
Dr. Chad Wellmon, University of Virginia
Watch Lecture Video
November 8, 2022
Liberal Learning and Love of Truth
Dr. Jennifer Frey, University of South Carolina
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November 29, 2022
The End of Moral Philosophy
Dr. Vanessa Wills, George Washington
Watch Lecture Video
History & Publications
Founded in 1970 with the cooperation of three academic units of Boston University—the Department of Philosophy, Department of Religion, and School of Theology—the institute was envisioned as a home for serious philosophical and religious reflection. Read More.