Russell Guerrero

210-999-8406

Russell.Guerrero@trinity.edu

Philosopher to Explore Apparent Contradictions in the Work of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sept. 29, 2003 – What can one assume from the writing of American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson?  He states the world is fundamentally a process and fundamentally a unity; that it resists the imposition of our will and that it flows with the power of our imagination. Russell Goodman, professor and chair of the philosophy department at the University of New Mexico, will explore the apparent inconsistencies in Emerson’s thought and shed light on his reasoning in a presentation at Trinity University.  Dr. Goodman will present “Paths of Coherence Through Emerson’s Philosophy: The Case of Nominalist and Realist,” at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, in the Chapman Center Gold Room.  The event is free and open to the public.  According to Dr. Goodman, Emerson routinely invites charges of inconsistency.  Emerson himself confronted the issues of consistency most directly in his essay "Nominalist and Realist,"  which closes his Second Series of essays. During his presentation, Dr. Goodman will explain if  Emerson embraces these contradictions or if he is really asserting a strategy of flexibility.  Dr. Goodman will also examine if Emerson’s position "Nominalist and Realist" is consistent with the rest of his thought.  For more information, contact the philosophy department at (210) 999-8305.

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Last updated on October 1, 2003 by the Office of Public Relations