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FSC holds philosophy lecture
Program features Dr. John Lachs of Vanderbilt University

LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2003) - The department of religion and philosophy presents a lecture featuring Dr. John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Titled "The Enemies of Life," Lachs' discussion deals with the drive to find meaning and value in an often chaotic and dangerous world. The lecture takes place Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. in Room 303, Edge Hall. 

"Dr. Lachs was one of the most dynamic and inspiring professors I've known," said FSC philosophy professor Dr. Daniel Silber, who studied under Lachs as a graduate student. "I'm glad that members of the FSC community will have a chance to meet him and listen to what he has to say about the relevance of philosophy to everyday life."

Lachs is the author of numerous philosophical books and articles, including most recently "The Relevance of Philosophy to Life" (1995), "In Love with Life" (1998), "Thinking in the Ruins: Wittgenstein and Santayana on Contingency" (2000), and "The Philosophy of William Ernest Hocking" (2001). He is also general editor of the Encyclopedia of American Philosophy. 

In his teaching career, Lachs has been recognized with the E. Harris Harbison Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Madison Sarrat Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Alumni Education Award from Vanderbilt University, and the Herbert Schneider Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Philosophy. He has been president of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy, the C.S. Peirce Society, and the Metaphysical Society of America, and has received more than 20 grants from such organizations as the American Philosophical Society and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Lachs has served as consultant to more than one hundred colleges, universities, and organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the University of Tennessee Medical Ethics Program, and the Kettering Foundation. He has delivered lectures worldwide, made more than 130 appearances on radio and television programs, and published more than 150 articles on Plato, Santayana, Hume, Nietzsche, John Stuart Mill, and other topics. 

The presentation, sponsored by the FSC advancement office, is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. For additional information, please contact Dr. Dan Silber at 863-680-4181 or email at (dsilber@flsouthern.edu). 

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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