Ten students from StFX attended the annual Atlantic Region Philosophers Association meeting, held in Charlottetown, PEI at the University of Prince Edward Island, in late October. Two of the students, Isaac Stuckless and Zoey Phillips, presented papers, along with three StFX alumni, and three StFX professors.
According to Dr. William Sweet of the Department of Philosophy, it is very rare to have undergraduate presentations at this conference, although StFX philosophy students have frequently attended the conference.
Isaac Stuckless, a fourth year student doing honours in philosophy (with a subsidiary in political science) presented a paper on “Monasteries & The Market: Thomas Aquinas’s Perfection of the Spiritual Life & Business Practices.” Mr. Stuckless argued for an ethical alternative to what many think of as fundamental principles in business: efficiency and capital gain. By turning to insights in Aquinas‘s treatise on the monastic ideal, he argued that a market constructed around Thomist principles of justice and duty could better serve the cultivation of human well-being. His paper, based on part of his honours thesis in philosophy, was initially funded through the award of a StFX internship that allowed him to work under the supervision of philosophy professor Dr. Louis Groarke.
Zoey Phillips, a third year student, spoke on “Propaganda: Filtering Reality to Further an Agenda.” Ms. Phillips raised the issue of whether propaganda and appeals to emotion could be used benevolently to further public policy objectives. She argued that, even when the end appears to be a praiseworthy one, propaganda and deception, particularly by government, deprive individuals of their dignity and respect.
In addition, three StFX philosophy alumni, Ken Matheson (BA Hons. 2023), Mary Jo Curry (BA Hons. 2008) and Paul Curry (BA Hons 2005), also gave papers, along with professors, Dr. Doug Al-Maini, Dr. Louis Groarke, and Dr. William Sweet.
Dr. Sweet reports that this level of student and alumni participation is exceptional in Atlantic Canada and that it speaks to both the engagement and the quality of StFX philosophy students. Participating in professional conferences provides students with a unique opportunity to carry out serious research that is sufficiently original and detailed to merit inclusion on a programme that is meant primarily for full-time academics, he said.
He noted that the StFX students were welcomed at the conference, and their presentations were as well attended as those of professional philosophers.
