HuskyFest 2012 celebrated the 150th anniversary of the University of Washington. UW opened its doors to the community with a campus-wide festival that included music, tours, exhibits, lectures and more. The Department of Philosophy contributed by having a series of fascinating talks. Professor Lauren Hartzell Nichols kicked off Philosophy's HuskyFest program with a stimulating talk about whether we as individuals need to be concerned about limiting our personal carbon emissions in the context of global climate change.
Graduate student Amy Reed-Sandoval delighted children and adults alike by reading Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and leading a philosophical discussion on the tree and the boy's relationship. Professor Ron Moore entertained the crowd by discussing the nature of poetry and its purpose in punctuating the moments, experiences, and events of our lives. With the help of the audience, he then created a "poem" by pulling words from Shakespeare's 18thSonnet out of a hat. Professor Sara Goering spoke about autonomy in bioethics and led a lively discussion about the definition of autonomy, and how we determine if a person is capable of making medical choices for themselves.
The day's events ended with a standing-room-only crowd watching a mini ethics bowl! Graduate students Jason Benchimol and Elizabeth Scarbrough led undergraduates Kevin Shaw, Chloe Zager, Spencer Caldwell, Andrej Markcovic, Spencer Beaudette, and Robert Higa in presenting philosophical arguments supporting and opposing the stance that an individual pharmacist has the right not to dispense emergency contraception if it is against his or her moral beliefs.
Thanks to everyone who attended and presented. If you were unable to attend Philosophy's HuskyFest events, we did record them for you! They are available for viewing at http://vimeo.com/user11504418