On the next episode of Fiat Lux Redux, Tuesday, August 5 at 9 AM, two powerhouse philosophers, Agnes Callard (Philosophy, University of Chicago) and Judith Butler (Comparative Literature, UC Berkeley), engage in a conversation inspired by Callard’s new book, Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life, which explores how the work of Socrates can be used to ask and answer life’s most important questions.
Callard and Butler delve into how Socratic methodology can provide guidance on managing romantic love, confronting mortality, and approaching politics, ultimately offering a fresh ethical framework for life. Together, they dive deep into Socrates’ work and beliefs, discussing the value of pursuing knowledge through open-ended questions, how philosophical inquiry is a collaborative process where meaning and understanding are constructed through conversation, and how critical questioning can lead to greater freedom of thought and help us to ask and answer some of life’s most important questions.
Agnes Callard is currently an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Chicago specializing in Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and ethics. Her research and teaching often focus on Socratic and Aristotelian ethics, and broader themes such as aspiration, personal growth, and how to live a philosophical life.
Judith Butler is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley, where she previously held the Maxine Elliot Chair in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory. She also holds the Hannah Arendt Chair at The European Graduate School (EGS). Her teaching and research encompass a wide range of subjects, including feminist theory, queer theory, gender studies, and critical theory.
This event was sponsored by The Townsend Center for the Humanities at UC Berkeley and took place on the UC Berkeley campus January 30, 2025.
Fiat Lux Redux presents previously aired lectures, conversations, and podcasts originating on the campus of UC Berkeley every other Tuesday from 9am to 9:30am. These often-lengthy original programs have been edited to a 30-minute format by experienced KALX producers. The show’s name, Latin for “Let there be light”, is a reference to the University of California’s motto, which is also Fiat Lux. The show’s goal is to provide listeners with a window into the intellectual and cultural life of UC Berkeley and to showcase the wide range of subjects and diversity of thought and ideas that are present at UC Berkeley.
