The first Frumkes Lecture will be given on November 13 by renowned philospher Bernard Williams, who will address the topic Philosophy, Scientism, and the Need for History. The lecture is cosponsored by by Graduate School of Arts and Science and the FAS Department of Philosophy. I established the Frumkes Lecture Series because I studied philosophy with Sidney Hook, William Barrett, and Paul Edwards at NYU many years ago, and again recently with Tom Nagel, Peter Unger, and other members of what is probably the finest philosophy department in the country today and I am grateful, said Frumkes. New York City is, de facto, the center of the intellectual universe, and this department at the Graduate School of Arts and Science is the perfect place to hold such a lecture series. Catharine Stimpson, dean of GSAS, said, The generosity of Lewis Frumkes will enable NYU and its surrounding communities to honor and hear the world s leading philosophers speak on issues of great importance.
Wisdom is in short supply in the world.
The occasions of the Frumkes Lecture will happily increase it. Bernard Williams is a preeminent philosopher and a public intellectual. He holds a dual appointment at Oxford University and the University of California at Berkeley. Some of his principal publications include Morality, Making Sense of Humanity, and Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and was knighted in 1999.