Prof. Chris Skowronski (University of Opole, Poland)

Berlin Practical Philosophy International Forum e.V, Germany

La Torre del Virrey: Instituto de Estudios Culturales Avanzados (Grupo de Investigación en Filosofía Terapéutica), Valencia, España

Main Idea:

Our seminars delve into a wide range of topics that bridge the humanistic traditions of Graeco-Roman antiquity with modern philosophical approaches that are practical, relevant, and adaptable to contemporary life. We explore everything from agency, happiness, values, and the social dimensions of well-being to (self-)therapeutic methods for personal growth, culminating in discussions on key ideas in philosophy, ethics, and culture.

A central theme in our discussions is Stoic Pragmatism, which connects ancient and modern/ new Stoicism with American pragmatism—a perspective developed in the works of John Lachs, especially his Stoic Pragmatism (Indiana UP, 2012) and in Chris Skowronski’s A Meaningful Life Amidst a Pluralism of Cultures and Values: John Lachs’s Stoic Pragmatism as a Philosophical and Cultural Project (Brill, 2023).

But our exploration doesn’t stop there. We also engage with ideas from thinkers like George Santayana, the American Transcendentalists, Henryk Elzenberg, and many others, expanding the conversation on how philosophy can enrich and guide modern life.

Enrolment and more info from Chris Skowronski: skris65@gmail.com

                                      

VIDEO AQUÍ

17.10.2024: Seminario organizado por La Torre del Virrey-Instituto de estudios culturales avanzados (Valencia).

Idea

The course focuses on widening Spanish vocabulary and some grammar structures using comparative exercises that use similar lexicons and similar or corresponding grammar structures in English. The main idea is that students can enlarge their Spanish language skills, mainly oral, by learning and practicing similar or identical words (cognates), and similar grammar / corresponding constructions in English. A good development of this project is talking, in English and Spanish, about the language, cultural, and political relations between the English-speaking world and the Spanish-speaking world, especially at the points where they directly meet: e.g., US Hispanics, Gibraltar, Guantanamo, US-Mexican Wall, the Falklands/Malvinas.

I want to thank my UO students for their cooperation during this course.