This is a past event
Call for Participation- Discussion event
In an age where news and reports are freely accessible to everyone, concepts like fact-checking and fake news become more relevant than ever; the job of debunking myths and prejudices while upholding a scientific approach to communication is one of the first duties of a researcher, even a humanistic one.
When confronted with the study of the past and the artistic manifestations of human history it is common to stumble across misconceptions and false notions deeply ingrained in our general belief that, once submitted to a close and rigorous scrutiny, turn out to be completely wrong and sometimes harmful. Rectifying these myths and acquiring a clearer and more accurate view of the past is essential to a fuller understanding of the present, which is ultimately the thing a humanist does best.
Not only this: humanistic research itself is shrouded in misconceptions and prejudices, with the general perception being we lock ourselves in an ivory tower in our pursuit of knowledge, with no contact with the real world and its dynamics. Debunking these myths is as important as assessing the truth about past phenomena. We are called to re-examine our role in contemporary society every day and, when possible, engage with as many people as we can in our discovery of beauty and truth.
Because in the end, what a humanist really does is explore the beauty of being human. Through what people thought, made, read, wrote and built in the past we grasp a sense of continuity with our own experience; these voices from the past are not ghosts or legends, they are us. Understanding the mark they left on the world, sometimes willingly, sometimes accidentally, brings us closer to understanding ourselves as fundamentally human. We are the continuators Marguerite Yourcenar’s Hadrian counted upon to preserve the intermittent immortality of beauty, truth, and humanity.
We are looking for passionate and enthusiastic students, researchers and teachers who are willing to share their experiences and their love for what they do with fellow colleagues and the broader public on July 6th. We would love to have you for lunch on Old Aberdeen Campus and hear your voices and your anecdotes. It will be a very friendly chat, so just bring enthusiasm, fun and your favourite subject!
If you are interested in this event, would like to join or simply need more information, you can email mariachiara.difra@student.unisi.it or t04md22@abdn.ac.uk with your queries. In order to make this experience as fun and engaging as possible we kindly ask you to let us know if you intend to join us no later than June 30th.
- Hosted by
- Maria Chiara Di Francesco
- Venue
- Old Senate Room
- Contact
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