Drew Leder to speak on “The Life of the Mind in the Year of the City” Each year, a Loyola faculty member is chosen to deliver the Nachbahr Lecture during the College’s Family Weekend Honors Convocation. Named in honor of the late Bernard Nachbahr, a longtime Loyola Professor of Philosophy and the first Director of the College’s Center for the Humanities, the lecture focuses on “The Life of the Mind”, an open-ended idea that allows faculty members a tremendous range of possibilities in connecting the theme to their own discipline and experiences. This year’s Nachbahr lecturer, Drew Leder, Philosophy, chose to tie his remarks to the Year of the City initiative. “It’s common for undergraduates to see college as a pre-professional exercise and a social environment, which it is,” says Leder. “But it’s also a time to learn for its own sake, experiment with different perspectives, contemplate the deep questions of life and learn from the great thinkers of every age and culture. If an individual develops a vibrant life of the mind, he or she can read for enjoyment, be fascinated by the world and take delight in life. Such a joy is cheap, personal and will serve you well, no matter your age or social position.” Such an approach to life and intellectual curiosity is desirable in all students, Leder says, but essential for those who hope to make a significant contribution to the Year of the City initiative, a program designed to reaffirm the College’s ties to the City of Baltimore and consider how the Loyola mission can intersect with the City’s current needs. “At Loyola, we’re supporting men and women to lead and serve in a changing world,” he says. “You can’t lead effectively if you’re not a thoughtful person, able to understand people who are different from you. To be a real citizen, of every city and every country, you need to be reflective and informed.” For undergraduates, the opportunities for cultivating a life of the mind at Loyola are a gift, Leder believes. In 1992, Leder taught a philosophy course to inmates at the Maryland Penitentiary, the oldest continuously operating penitentiary in the Western world, and then the maximum security prison for the entire state. In the years since, he has continued working with inmates under the auspices of Loyola's Center for Community Service and Justice. He has also maintained correspondence with some of the inmates in his original class, many of whom will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. “For these prisoners, to study philosophy is a gift, a privilege and a necessity,” he says. “In a sense, prison affords many of these men a time for reflection they never could have found while still on the streets. College offers our students a similar opportunity, albeit in much kinder, more supportive surroundings. Students have a lot of time to prepare to be good lawyers, accountants and doctors. But the primary role of college is to prepare the individual student to be a whole person, a citizen of the world. If they miss this opportunity to focus so intently on the life of the mind, it’s very hard to recreate, and they’re likely to regret it.” Leder will deliver his remarks during the 2006 Honors Convocation at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30 in the College’s Reitz Arena. A full transcript of his lecture will be available online after the address. |
