Philosopher and Buddhism scholar Jay Garfield of Smith College will deliver the third annual Justice and Asia Distinguished Lecture by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame on Thursday, April 13, 2023. The event is cosponsored by Notre Dame's Department of Philosophy, and Mike Zhao, assistant professor of philosophy, will moderate. The Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion is also a cosponsor.
The event is free and open to the public, and will take place at 4:00 p.m. in 1030 Jenkins Nanovic Halls at the University of Notre Dame. A reception will follow.
In a lecture titled “Buddhism and Nonviolence in the Contemporary World,” Garfield will present a Buddhist analysis of nonviolence in a way relevant to our contemporary life. He will first explain how violence manifests in the contemporary world. Second, he will present a Buddhist analysis of that violence and its causes. Third, he will ask how a Buddhist ethical framework determines our responsibilities as agents in the context of that violence and a path to its eradication.
Garfield chairs the Department of Philosophy and directs the Buddhist Studies Program and the Tibetan Studies in India Program at Smith College. He is a visiting professor of Buddhist philosophy at Harvard Divinity School, professor of philosophy at Melbourne University, and adjunct professor of philosophy at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies. Academicinfluence.com has identified him as one of the 50 most influential philosophers in the world over the past decade.
His research addresses topics in the foundations of cognitive science and the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, the history of modern Indian philosophy, and topics in ethics, epistemology and the philosophy of logic, and topics in Buddhist philosophy, particularly Indo-Tibetan Madhyamaka and Yogācāra. He is the author of more than 30 books, including his most recent titles, “Losing Ourselves: Learning to Live without a Self,” “Knowing Illusion: Bringing a Tibetan Debate into Contemporary Discourse,” and “Buddhist Ethics: A Philosophical Exploration.”
The Liu Institute’s Justice and Asia Distinguished Lecture invites top scholars who examine the theme of justice in relation to Asia and with awareness of Asian cultures and traditions. The series is part of the Liu Institute’s organizing theme of “Justice and Asia” that examines and supports thematic work from a range of perspectives, projects, disciplines, and collaborations.