The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics will host a one-day workshop on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia on Thursday, August 8, 2024, in the Lury and Barbara Goodall Room, formerly known as the Multipurpose Room, in the Newman Library.

Since its publication, Anarchy, State, and Utopia has become a classic of political philosophy. The book is full of innovative ideas and intriguing thought experiments that have had an immense influence on the discipline as well as related fields. The book is best-known for its critique of John Rawls’ theory of justice, the defense of Nozick’s entitlement theory of justice, and the justification of a minimal state. However, the book also contains discussions of invisible hand explanations, the moral standing of animals, hedonism, Marxian political theory, workplace democracy, utopian thinking, and more. Many of these discussions draw on methods and themes in philosophy, politics, and economics.

The workshop offers a forum for scholars to present their most recent work on Nozick and PPE-related themes drawn from Anarchy, State, and Utopia.

The workshop is open to the public. All faculty and students are cordially invited to attend. Each speaker will provide a presentation of their work. The sessions will allow plenty of time for discussion and interaction with the speakers and PPE faculty. Please see here for more information about the speakers and schedule.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Club will participate in this year’s Gobblerfest. Students who are interested in PPE and the program’s offerings are cordially invited to attend.

Please come by our table to speak with club representatives and PPE students. Learn more about PPE@VT!

Join the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics for its annual “Meet and Greet” event on September 10, 2024, from 3:30-4:30pm, at the Kellogg Center (free parking).

We will have an informal reception (free food) for faculty, staff, students, and anyone interested in PPE. Learn more about the Kellogg Center, its faculty, degree programs, student club, and our events and activities this year.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

The PPE Reading Group will meet every other Wednesday from 12-1:30pm, starting on September 11, 2024, during the semester for a Lunch & Learn to jointly read and discuss a book that deals with a current topic from a PPE perspective.

The Kellogg Center will provide free copies of the book. Participation is open to all VT students and faculty.

To receive your free book please sign up with Gil Hersch (hersch@nullvt.edu) by September 9, 2024. Please join us for a good discussion and a free lunch.

The PPE Cinema, organized by the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, welcomes faculty and students from across campus who are interested in watching and discussing great films.

Together we watch movies on the big screen and discuss the questions in philosophy, politics, and economics that they raise. Food and beverages are provided.

Film title: Hidden (Caché). A psychotriller about an affluent Parisian couple facing anonymous threats and a reflection on France’s colonial past. Austrian director Michael Haneke won the Award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

Jack Turner, Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, will give a talk with the title “Die Your Own Death: Walt Whitman’s Existential Democracy.”

The talk will take place on October 2, 2024, from 4-5:30pm in the GLC Multipurpose Room of the Graduate Life Center.

The talk is tailored to appeal to both faculty and students, with plenty of time for discussion and interaction with the guest speaker. The talk will be followed by a public reception.

All faculty and students are welcome to attend. Please see here for more information.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

The PPE Cinema, organized by the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, welcomes faculty and students from across campus who are interested in watching and discussing great films.

Together we watch movies on the big screen and discuss the questions in philosophy, politics, and economics that they raise. Food and beverages are provided.

Film title: The Conformist. In the late 1930s, a Fascist functionary is ordered to assassinate his former professor. A visually stunning film about the psychology of conformism by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci (1970).

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

Christoph Lütge, Peter Löscher Chair of Business Ethics and Director of the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich (TMU), will give a talk with the title “The Contribution of Business Ethics to the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.”

The talk will take place on October 30, 2024, from 4-5:30pm in Owens Ballroom (Owens Hall).

The talk is tailored to appeal to both faculty and students, with plenty of time for discussion and interaction with the guest speaker. The talk will be followed by a public reception.

All faculty and students are welcome to attend. Please see here for more information.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics will organize a PPE Law School Discussion Session on November 4, 2024, from 6-7:15pm.

This is a unique opportunity for current PPE students and students interested in PPE to learn more about law school admissions, selection of law schools, when to attend law school, considerations while attending law school, careers, and more.

Join us for a lively discussion with Nicholas Work, a recent PPE Graduate and J.D. Candidate at the University of Virginia School of Law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.

Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, a PPE affiliate and a faculty member in Economics at Virginia Tech, will give a talk with the title “How Sanctions Work.”

The talk will take place on November 13, 2024, from 12:15-1:30pm, in the conference room of the Kellogg Center (820 University City Blvd).

The PPE Working Paper series offers a friendly and constructive intellectual environment for sharing and advancing preliminary research in PPE. Please see here for more information.

All faculty and students are welcome to attend. Lunch will be served! Please RSVP (strongly recommended).

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.