This semester, the PPE Reading Group will discuss Tommie Shelby’s Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, and Reform (2016).

In his pathbreaking new book, Tommie Shelbie presents a new perspective on urban black neighborhoods in the US that are characterized by poverty, violence, and instability. From this perspective, these “dark ghettos” are not merely social problems to be fixed; they are symptoms of systemic injustice. This shift in perspective leads to novel questions about how the government may act with regard to these communities, but also about the obligations (or lack thereof) of the ghetto poor. Each chapter focuses on core dimensions of the phenomenon: Racism and wealth/income inequities, residential segregation, cultural configurations, reproductive choices, single-mother families, joblessness, crime, and mass incarceration.

The reading group is (provisionally) scheduled for every other Thursday from 4-5:30pm in the conference room of the Kellogg Center (820 University City Blvd). Participation is open to students (whether you are already a PPE student or interested in becoming one) and select faculty.

Please sign up with Fabian Wendt (fabianwendt@nullvt.edu) to receive your book in time to read. Enjoy free pizza and soft drinks with our discussions!

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Fabian Wendt
E-Mail:: fabianwendt@nullvt.edu
for more info visit the web at:
https://ppe.liberalarts.vt.edu//2022/01/03/tommie-shelby-dark-ghettos-injustice-dissent-and-reform/

On April 2, 2022, the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics will co-organize a daylong discussion colloquium for selected undergraduate students on the topic “Markets and Morality.”

Professor Christopher Freiman (William and Mary) will serve as discussion leader to facilitate an in-depth exploration of the questions and challenges raised by a set of critical, seminal readings on the topic.

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Michael Moehler
E-Mail:: moehler@nullvt.edu

Award-winning philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist Kwame Anthony Appiah will deliver the 2023 PPE Distinguished Public Lecture at Virginia Tech.

Kwame Anthony Appiah is Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University. He has published widely in literary and cultural studies, with a focus on African and African-American culture. Among many other honors, Professor Appiah won the Ralph J. Bunche Award of the American Political Association “for the best scholarly work in political science which explores the phenomenon of ethnic and cultural pluralism,” the Outstanding Book Prize of the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights, and the Arthur Ross Book Award of the Council on Foreign Relations.

At Virginia Tech, drawing from his work on cosmopolitanism and identity, Professor Appiah will first explore the idea of identity philosophically, then focus on the psychology of identity and the challenges of managing identities in a humane way. He will examine how partisan identity works in our own society today, and end by discussing the role of identities across the world, defending the continuing relevance of a cosmopolitan respect for the diversity of identities, an attitude that is very much under attack. His lecture is titled, “Politics and Polarization: The Place of Identities in Democracy.”

All faculty, students, and members of the public are welcome to attend this lecture. The event is free with no tickets required. The lecture will be followed by a public reception.

Price: Free
Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Michael Moehler
E-Mail:: moehler@nullvt.edu
for more info visit the web at:
https://ppe.liberalarts.vt.edu/category/ppe-distinguished-public-lecture/

This semester, the PPE Reading Group will discuss Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels’ Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government (2016).

Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels employ a wealth of social-scientific evidence to show that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the ship of state from the voting booth is fundamentally misguided. They demonstrate that voters – even those who are well-informed and politically engaged – mostly choose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not political issues. They also show that voters adjust their policy views and even their perceptions of basic matters of fact to match those loyalties. When parties are roughly evenly matched, elections often turn on irrelevant or misleading considerations such as economic spurts or downturns beyond the incumbents’ control; the outcomes are essentially random. Thus, voters do not control the course of public policy, even indirectly. These empirical findings provide a powerful challenge to conventional thinking, pointing the way toward a fundamentally different understanding of the realities and potential of democratic government. Achen and Bartels conclude that democratic theory needs to be founded on identity groups and political parties, not on the preferences of individual voters.

The reading group is (provisionally) scheduled for every other Tuesday from 4-5:30pm in the conference room of the Kellogg Center (820 University City Blvd). Participation is open to students (whether you are already a PPE student or interested in becoming one) and select faculty.

Please sign up with Dan Gibbs (gibbsd@nullvt.edu) to receive your book in time to read. Enjoy free pizza and soft drinks with our discussions!

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Dan Gibbs
E-Mail:: gibbsd@nullvt.edu
for more info visit the web at:
https://ppe.liberalarts.vt.edu/category/ppe-reading-group/

Join the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics for its annual “Meet and Greet” event on September 5, 2023, from 3:30-4:30pm, at the Kellogg Center (free parking).

We will have an informal reception (free food) for faculty, staff, students, and anyone interested in PPE. Learn more about the Kellogg Center, its faculty, degree programs, student club, and our events and activities this year.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Holly Belcher (hollymb2@nullvt.edu) at least ten business days before the event.

Price: Free

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Michael Moehler
E-Mail:: moehler@nullvt.edu
for more info visit the web at:
https://ppe.liberalarts.vt.edu/

Sheryl Ball, a PPE affiliate and a faculty member in Economics, will give a talk with the title “Youth Reeducated: The Economics Preference Impacts of China’s Send-Down Movement.”

The talk will take place on November 8, 2023, from 12:30-1:45pm, in the conference room of the Kellogg Center (820 University City Blvd).

All faculty and students are welcome to attend. Lunch will be served! Please RSVP (strongly recommended).

The PPE Working Paper Series offers a friendly and constructive intellectual environment for sharing and advancing preliminary research in PPE and is typically combined with lunch for participants.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Holly Belcher (hollymb2@nullvt.edu) at least ten business days before the event.

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Melinda Miller
E-Mail:: millermc@nullvt.edu

The PPE Cinema, organized by the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, welcomes faculty and students from across campus who are interested in watching and discussing great films.

Together we watch movies on the big screen in the conference room of the Kellogg Center and discuss the questions in philosophy, politics, and economics they raise. Food and beverages are provided.

Film title: Rashomon. Considered one of the greatest films of all times, Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” tells the story of the murder of a samurai from different perspectives. Winner of the Golden Lion in Venice 1951 and an Academy Honorary Award in 1952.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Holly Belcher (hollymb2@nullvt.edu) at least ten business days before the event.

Price: Free
Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Fabian Wendt
E-Mail:: fabianwendt@nullvt.edu

Michael Wagnon, together with Sudipta Sarangi, will give a talk with the title “The Ten Little Treasures of Game Theory Revisited Through AI.”

The talk will take place on December 4, 2023, from 12:30-1:45pm, in the conference room of the Kellogg Center (820 University City Blvd).

All faculty and students are welcome to attend. Lunch will be served! Please RSVP (strongly recommended).

The PPE Working Paper Series offers a friendly and constructive intellectual environment for sharing and advancing preliminary research in PPE and is typically combined with a lunch for participants.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Holly Belcher (hollymb2@nullvt.edu) at least ten business days before the event.

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Melinda Miller
E-Mail:: millermc@nullvt.edu

Are you interested in strategic thinking? Do you enjoy thinking a few steps ahead? At the core of PPE analysis lies the essence of strategic thinking and problem solving. Immerse yourself in this approach in a dynamic, relaxed, and hands-on environment guided by the Kellogg Center’s resident game theorist, Dan Gibbs.

Together, participants will engage in the study and play of popular board and card games. They will explore optimal strategies through gameplay and thoughtful discussion. Participants will also have the chance to compete for exciting prizes, making the learning experience both enjoyable and rewarding.

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome. Food and beverages will be provided. Please sign up in advance with Dan Gibbs (gibbsd@nullvt.edu).

Philip Yaure, a PPE affiliate and a faculty member in Philosophy, will give a talk with the title “Organized Sisters: Gender, Solidarity, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women.”

The talk will take place on February 6, 2024, from 12:00-1:15pm, in the conference room of the Kellogg Center (820 University City Blvd).

All faculty and students are welcome to attend. Lunch will be served!

The PPE Working Paper Series offers a friendly and constructive intellectual environment for sharing and advancing preliminary research in PPE and is typically combined with a lunch for participants.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Holly Belcher (hollymb2@nullvt.edu) at least ten business days before the event.

Sponsor: Administration
Homepage: http://www.calendar.vt.edu/index.php?calendarid=clahs
Contact: Melinda Miller
E-Mail:: millermc@nullvt.edu