WHEELING, WV, Sept. 9, 2009 — The new encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI (Caritas in Veritate or Charity in Truth) provides a unique opportunity to “Seek the common good in community” and the philosophy department has put together a program of public lectures dealing with this important document.

The senior seminar in Political and Economic Philosophy (PHI 485 01) will be conducted as a seven week set of Monday evening lectures. Each lecture, provided by a different professor, addresses a portion of the Pope’s encyclical on world economic justice from within the professor’s discipline, followed by open discussion.

The letter deals with the current global economic crisis and seeks to propose a challenging path for the true development of all peoples of the world.

Dr. Ed Younkins and Father Jim O’Brien, invite all students, faculty, researchers, administrative staff, and community members to participate in this seminar beginning Monday, Sept. 14.

Student discussions begin at 6 p.m. with public lecture at 7 p.m. Current location is Acker Science Center, Room 212. (Site may change depending on response.)

Please contact O’Brien or Younkins for further details. (jobrien@wju.edu or younkins@wju.edu)

List of lectures include:

September 14: Chapter I, The Message of 'Populorum Progressio,' Dr. Normand Paulhus
September 21: Chapter II, Human Development in Our Time, Dr. Richard Mullen
September 28: Chapter III, Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society, TBA
October 5: Chapter IV, The Development of People, Rights and Duties, the Environment, TBA
October 12: Chapter V, The Cooperation of the Human Family, Dr. Robert Phillips
October 26: Political and Economic Philosophy in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching, with the Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. in the SPECIAL LOCATION, THE NTTC Auditorium
November 2: Chapter VI, The Development of Peoples and Technology,TBA