Piedmont to Host Philosophy ‘Star’ Gabriel Ferreira for Free Lecture on Feb. 17

Piedmont University will host Professor Gabriel Ferreira of Brazil’s Unisinos University for a thought-provoking event titled You Can’t Untie a Knot You Don’t Know About: Some Remarks on Philosophy and Its History at 11 a.m. on Feb. 17 at the Arrendale Library on Piedmont’s Demorest campus.

Ferreira is a philosophy professor at Unisinos and a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Carson Webb, Piedmont’s Harry R. Butman Associate Professor of Religion & Philosophy, is organizing Dr. Ferreira’s visit.

Dr. Webb described Dr. Ferreira as possessing “wide-ranging intellect” that is a “breath of fresh, intellectually exhilarating mountain air without a mask.”

“He is a philosopher, as much in his life as in his publications. The Piedmont University community is fortunate to be able to host such a splendid rising star of a scholar,” Dr. Webb said.

During his engagement at Piedmont, Dr. Ferreira will discuss philosophy and its applicability to everyday life.

“Philosophy can easily seem like either a mysterious wallowing in the unfathomable or like a trivial list of what other — usually dead — people have thought. Sadly, philosophers sometimes have only themselves to blame for this impression. Call it a professional hazard,” Dr. Ferreira said.

“In this lecture, I correct some of these misconceptions about philosophy, which is at its heart a rational, problem-solving enterprise just like every other field of knowledge. It’s driven by a history of problems and the gradual improvement of our solutions to them, which is why history and philosophy go hand-in-hand. Students are invited to participate in this ongoing dialogue that spans the ages and the world and to join in the exciting work of passionately creating better and better solutions to some of the greatest conundrums we have ever faced.”

Attendees will leave with a better sense of how philosophy can be used in their day-to-day lives to solve modern problems.

“What does it really mean to be a ‘wisdom lover’ — as the word ‘philosopher’ literally means? In this lecture Dr. Ferreira addresses some of the common misconceptions about philosophy and suggests that we can each of us develop a more sophisticated understanding of what it means to engage in a problem-solving rational enterprise that will change your life, if you let it,” Dr. Webb said.

Dr. Ferreira’s lecture is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Camp Younts Conference Room on the fourth floor of the Arrendale Library. Piedmont’s Demorest campus is located at 1021 Central Ave.

For more information, contact Dr. Webb at carsonwebb@piedmont.edu.