Professor Looks At Friendship

John Lysaker, the William R. Kenan Professor of Philosophy at Emory University, will present a lecture on Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. in the Stackhouse Theater as part of Washington and Lee University’s Mudd Center for Ethics’ series on “Beneficence: Practicing and Ethics of Care.”

Lysaker’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled “Become Who You Aren’t: Friendship as Spectacle.” This event can also be accessed via Livestream at livestream. com/wlu.

Lysaker’s research centers around phenomena such as the good life, the nature and social function of art, and the nature of the self and its fate in schizophrenia. He approaches his work through the interdisciplinary lenses of ethics, the philosophy of art and literature, philosophical psychology, and 19th and 20th-century American and continental philosophies.

“John Lysaker is interested in a wide range of topics related to art, literature and the good life. Most recently, his work has focused on friendship, hope, love and forgiveness,” said Karla Murdock, director of the Mudd Center. “Professor Lysaker’s lecture will address friendship as an inspiration and vehicle for practicing beneficence and care, paying particular attention to the benefits of friendships that bridge differences between us.”

Lysaker has authored several books and numerous articles primarily exploring the writings of various thinkers, poets and artists, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Anselm Kiefer and Brian Eno. He is currently working on two book-length projects, including an extended meditation on friendship.