Democratic Affections: Film, Philosophy, and Religion in the Thought of Stanley Cavell

The death this year of Stanley Cavell brought to an end a unique and exceptionally rich life in philosophy, one that continues to inspire readers and colleagues throughout the humanities and the humanistic social sciences. In this two-day interdisciplinary symposium commemorating Cavell’s career, UCSB faculty from across the campus invite Cavell scholars from Europe and America to join in a discussion of his extraordinary contributions to our understanding of the affective dimensions of democratic life, particularly as these play out in film, religion, and what Cavell terms Emersonian Perfectionism.

The first day (Thursday February 14), which will focus on Cavell and Film, will conclude with a screening at UCSB’s Carsey-Wolf Center of the Hollywood classic The Lady Eve and an accompanying Q&A. The second day (Friday February 15) will focus on Cavell and Religion and Philosophy.

For conference schedule and details please visit https://hscif.org/democratic-affections/

For the screening event please visit https://www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock-events/ladyeve/

The Cavell Symposium is co-sponsored by The Center for Humanities & Social Change, the College of Letters and Science, the Graduate Center for Literary Research, the Department of Philosophy, the Carsey Wolf Center, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, the Literature and the Mind Program, the Departments of Religious Studies, of Political Science, Film and Media Studies, French and Italian, and the Comparative Literature Program.