Colloquium series to focus on pragmatism

The benefits and shortcomings of pragmatism, the method of philosophy in which the truth of an idea is judged by its practical outcome, will be debated by leading philosophers and other scholars at the University in a three-part colloquium series during the spring semester.

The series, "Beyond the Absolute and Arbitrary: Exploring the Possibilities of Pragmatism," is sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture and is open to the public. Sessions will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 and Feb. 15 in the Rotunda Dome Room and on April 12 in the Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room. Two scholars in each session will present a paper, respond to each other and answer questions from the audience.

The participants on Feb. 1 will be Catherine Elgin, professor of the philosophy of education at Harvard University, and Hans Joas, professor of sociology at the Freie Universitat Berlin.

For information, call the institute at 924-7705.