2015: For Freedom Set Free
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” —Goethe
The University of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture is pleased to announce its sixteenth annual Fall Conference, "For Freedom Set Free," to be held November 19–21, 2015.
In our customary interdisciplinary fashion, this conference will take up a host of questions related to the nature, significance, and various dimensions of freedom, pursued in the context of philosophy, theology, political theory, law, history, economics, the social sciences, the biosciences, literature, and the arts. We welcome the submission of abstracts drawing on a wide range of moral and religious perspectives and academic specialties.
Plenary lectures will be given by Rémi Brague (The Sorbonne), Alasdair MacIntyre (the Center's Senior Distinguished Research Fellow), Thomas Pink (King's College London), Rev. Martin Rhonheimer (Pontifical University of the Holy Cross), and Rev. Julián Carrón (Communion and Liberation).
Registration
Registration is now closed. Contact Laura Nash (lnash@nd.edu) with any questions.
Videos
Visit the Center for Ethics and Culture's YouTube channel to watch recordings of this year's invited lectures, including:
- Rémi Brague on "Freedom and Creation"
- Alasdair MacIntyre on "The Justification of Coercion and Constraint"
- Thomas Pink and Rev. Martin Rhonheimer on "Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Liberty: Revision, Reform, or Continuity?"
- Rev. Julián Carrón on "The Truth Will Set You Free"
Schedule of Events
Download the complete conference program here.
Thursday, November 19 |
|
|---|---|
| 5:15 p.m. |
Opening Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart |
| 6:15 p.m.-8:00 p.m. |
Registration Check-In Conference Center Front Desk. Note: Check-in wil be available at the main desk throughout the weekend. |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Josef Pieper Keynote Lecture: "Freedom and Creation" Remi Brague (The Sorbonne) Conference Center Auditorium |
| 9:30 p.m. |
Opening Reception Conference Center Atrium |
Friday, November 20 |
|
| 8:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast Conference Center Atrium |
| 9:00-10:15 a.m. |
Colloquium Sessions View the full list here. Chosen from among submissions in response to the Call for Papers. Conference Center Meeting Rooms |
| 10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. |
"Christians in the Middle East: What Future, What Hope? A Witness from the Holy Land" Freedom, Reason, and the Soul |
| 12:15-1:15 p.m. |
Lunch Morris Inn Ballroom |
| 1:30-2:45 p.m. |
The Justification of Coercion and Constraint Alasdair MacIntyre (Center for Ethics and Culture Senior Distinguished Research Fellow) Conference Center Auditorium |
| 3:15-4:30 p.m. |
"Natural Givens and Historical Freedom: Forming Families Through Adoption" Freedom, Race, and the Sexual Revolution |
| 5:15 p.m. |
Mass with Bishop Kevin Rhoades (Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend) Basilica of the Sacred Heart |
| 6:30-7:45 p.m. |
Dinner Morris Inn Ballroom |
| 8:00 p.m. |
de Nicola Family Colloquy: "Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Liberty: Revision, Reform, or Continuity?" Thomas Pink (King's College London) Rev. Martin Rhonheimer (Pontifical University of the Holy Cross) Conference Center Auditorium |
| 9:30 p.m. |
Friday Night Reception Conference Center Atrium |
| 10:00 p.m. |
Young Adult Reception Rohr's, Morris Inn Note: Please bring conference nametag for entry. |
Saturday, November 21 |
|
| 8:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast Conference Center Atrium |
| 9:00-10:15 a.m. |
Colloquium Sessions View the full list here. Chosen from among submissions in response to the Call for Papers. Conference Center Meeting Rooms |
| 10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. |
Freedom in the Arts Freedom, Locke, and Liberalism |
| 12:15-1:15 p.m. |
Lunch Morris Inn Ballroom |
| 1:30-2:45 p.m. |
Freedom and Biology Liberty and Truth |
| 3:15-4:30 p.m. |
The Theology of Freedom Religious Liberty: Theory and Freedom of the Church |
| 5:00 p.m. |
Closing Mass with Rev. Julián Carrón (Communion and Liberation) Basilica of the Sacred Heart |
| 6:30-7:45 p.m. |
Dinner Morris Inn Ballroom |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Closing Address: "The Truth Will Set You Free" |
| 9:30 p.m. |
Closing Reception Conference Center Atrium |
Notre Dame Forum
This year’s Fall Conference is part of the 2015–16 Notre Dame Forum, “Faith, Freedom and the Modern World: 50 Years After Vatican II,” which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of pivotal documents of the Second Vatican Council that have particular significance today. Established in 2005 by University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the Notre Dame Forum has featured major talks by leading authorities on complex issues related to immigration, sustainability, global health, the global marketplace, K-12 education and the role of faith in a pluralistic society.
The Fall Conference is the most important academic forum for fruitful dialogue and exchange among the world’s leading Catholic thinkers and those from other traditions, drawing more than 600 participants annually. Past speakers include:
- Nobel Laureate James Heckman
- Gerhard Cardinal Müller, Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith for the Catholic Church
- Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Mark Filip
- Alasdair MacIntyre
- Charles Taylor
- Michael Sandel
- Jean Porter
- Robert P. George
- John Finnis
- Jean Bethke Elshtain
- Lorenza Violini
- Hon. John T. Noonan
- Sr. Helen Prejean
- Ralph McInerny