Fwd: New Events Series! Philosophies of the South
khamzang
Hi all,
Thought this upcoming new series from The Philosopher might be of interest.
best,
Alex
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| Subject: | New Events Series! |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:45:51 +0000 |
| From: | The Philosopher Newsletter <thephilos...@substack.com> |
| Reply-To: | The Philosopher Newsletter <reply+3634dg&4clbs&&77a4ad2de6b4425295a376e233a04361...@mg1.substack.com> |
| To: | a.je...@localfutures.org |
Greetings! There’s no Monday Event happening tomorrow, but we have a great new series with its first event next Monday, March 30. Today’s newsletter also includes a Sunday Read from the archives, as well as one last reminder down below about Michael Spicher’s Socratic Workshop on Saturday.
Sunday Read “Art is not a crossword puzzle” by Deric Carner Deric Carner frames art as an embodied practice rooted in touch, repetition, and material play rather than detached intellect. His chaotic studio becomes a site where forms emerge through intuition and experimentation. Rejecting rigid planning, he treats materials as active collaborators, allowing accidents and physical engagement to guide meaning. Art, for him, is not conceived fully in the mind but discovered through the body’s interaction with the world. Read here. ______________________________ (Next) Monday Event: Mar 30 12pm PDT/3pm EDT/7pm GMT “Philosophies of the South: Towards Pluralistic Decolonial Humanisms”: Nelson Maldonado-Torres in conversation with Felwine Sarr What would it mean to rethink the human beyond the limits of colonial modernity? How must we, as Frantz Fanon called us to do, “turn over a new leaf”? This conversation brings together Nelson Maldonado-Torres and Felwine Sarr to explore the possibility of a planetary humanism grounded in decolonial thought. Moving beyond dominant Western conceptions of the human, they reflect on how philosophies emerging from histories of colonialism, struggle, and repair might help reimagine humanity, community, and our relationship to the planet. Nelson Maldonado-Torres is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut (USA) and Professor Extraordinarious at the University of South Africa. He is also Co-Chair of the Frantz Fanon Foundation and Senior Associate of the BlackHouse Kollective-Soweto in South Africa. He has published extensively in decolonial philosophy, ethics and political theory, the theory of religion, the philosophy of race, and the theoretical foundations of ethnic studies. His recent work explores the concept of combative decoloniality, and can be found in chapters such as “Palestine, the War against Decolonization, and Combative Decoloniality” in the SAGE Handbook of Decolonial Theory (2025), and “Combative Decoloniality and the Abolition of the Humanities” in The Routledge Companion to Postcolonial and Decolonial Literature (2025). Felwine Sarr is a Senegalese academic and writer. He is a Professor of Romance Studies and African & African American Studies at Duke University in North Carolina, after teaching at the Université Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis, Senegal, where he is Professeur Titulaire des Universités and agrégé in economics. His academic work focuses on economics, the ecology of knowledge, contemporary African philosophy, economic policy, epistemology, economic anthropology and the history of religious ideas. Register for the event here. ______________________________ Saturday Workshop: March 28 8am PDT/11am EDT/3pm GMT This three-hour workshop explores how an ancient practice of questioning can help us think more clearly and act more responsibly in a culture saturated with instant reactions and endless commentary. Part 1: The History of the Socratic Method introduces Socrates as philosophy’s famous gadfly and midwife. Through accessible examples from Plato’s dialogues, participants will see how Socrates used conversation to expose assumptions, test ideas, and move from opinion toward understanding. These classical examples will be contrasted with familiar patterns of online behavior, highlighting the difference between reactive commenting and genuine dialogue. Part 2: The Parts of the Socratic Method examines the nuts and bolts of how the method works. We will break the practice into its key elements: disciplined question-and-answer exchange, testing for consistency, identifying the principles behind claims, using concrete examples to sharpen reasoning, and maintaining Socratic humility about one’s own expertise. Part 3: Contemporary Applications explores how the Socratic method can improve judgment in real-world settings, including politics, business, and everyday life. We will consider how better dialogue can lead to better decisions, from civic disagreement to organizational problem-solving and even the way we engage emerging tools like AI. Throughout the workshop, lecture will be balanced with guided discussion and practical exercises. Participants will not only learn about the Socratic method but also practice using it to ask better questions, examine assumptions, and cultivate habits of judgment that extend beyond the classroom. Michael Spicher is a philosopher, aesthetics advisor, and founder of Aesthetics Research Lab. He currently writes and teaches at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Boston Architectural College. His work centers aesthetics and philosophy as a formative force in human life, culture, and decision-making. ______________________________ Event Recordings: You can always check out our YouTube channel to watch any webinars you miss. 
Closing: The Philosopher is unfunded and directly relies on your support to keep doing the work we do. The best way you can do this is becoming a supporter via Patreon, if you’re not already. This helps us to keep our events series free and to pay our contributors. Find out more and become a member. Best, Andie Cook, Substack Manager The Philosopher's Substack is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell The Philosopher's Substack that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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2026 The Philosopher
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