UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
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Topic summary and Marino's bio
About the Hong Kierkegaard Library
The Existentialist’s Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age, HarperOne, July 30, 2019
Assistant Professor, Shimer Great Books School, North Central College, Naperville, Illinois
3:30 p.m. Reception
4 p.m. Presentation and Q/A
Kinnickinnic River Theater, 320 University Center, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
In recent years, Americans have heard repeatedly that democracy is under siege, from both major parties. One of the most puzzling aspects of this situation is the mismatch between the beliefs and actions of both sides. While Republicans use their baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen to justify sweeping changes to voting laws, Democrats have pursued very little legal or legislative action to shore up democratic norms even in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. To understand this strange dynamic, this talk will take a step back from the headlines and trace democracy's woes back to the neoliberal ideology that mainstream figures in both parties still share. This ideology claims to support individual freedom through market competition, but at the same time its leading theorists deeply distrusted democracy and sought to insulate the economy from political pressures. In fact, when push came to shove, they preferred a dictatorship that would preserve capitalism over a left-wing government that would preserve democracy. The result has been that none of the most important questions facing our society have been on the ballot for a generation or more—and where both major parties suspect that genuine democracy is more dangerous than the radical right.
This fund was established in 2021 with a generous gift from the Moosa family as well as many individual campus and community members. The goal of the series is to feature leading experts and thought leaders on a variety of pressing philosophical, social justice, and contemporary ethical issues.
Remembering Dr. Moosa
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The series was established in tribute to UW-River Falls philosophy professor Imtiaz Moosa, Ph.D., who taught at the university from 1989 until his unexpected passing in December 2020. The series fund will provide financial resources for an annual contemporary philosophy and ethics speaker series.
“Professor Moosa is dearly missed by our entire Falcon family,” said Dean Yohnk, dean of the College of the Arts and Sciences. “Imtiaz demonstrated a vibrant spirit, a love of teaching, a steadfast dedication to our students and a true zest for life. We believe this new series will be a meaningful and lasting tribute to a memorable educator and remarkable person.”
“Our campus community and the entire country needs rational, informed debate on important topics now more than ever,” explains Neil Kraus, chair of the History and Philosophy Department. “Our hope is that we can use the Dr. Imtiaz Moosa Philosophy and Ethics Speaker Series to address many of the most important issues we face, including the precarious state of democracy itself.”
