Written by Maggie Samples \/\/ Photo by Edgar Cardiel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American Studies Institute hosted Dr. Robert George and Dr. Cornel West for a lecture this week. The pair met on the Benson Auditorium stage Feb. 20 and talked about the importance of civil discourse and loving others through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
George is a professor at both Princeton and Harvard. He has served as a chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and he was a presidential appointee to the U.S. Division of Civil Rights and recipient of the U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary and has taught at both Harvard and Princeton. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in three years, has written 20 books, and holds both a master\u2019s degree and a doctorate in philosophy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duke introduced the speakers, and President Mike Williams conducted the interview, beginning with asking the question of how the two became friends. The speakers discussed the beginnings of their friendship and their love for one another. They also discussed seeking truth and loving others, all with a foundation in Christian tradition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve heard about chemistry, people who have chemistry in their classroom,\u201d George said in reference to the beginnings of his friendship with West. \u201cThis was magic, it wasn\u2019t chemistry, it was magic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
West and George taught together at Princeton, and their class focused on the classics and \u201clearning how to die,\u201d George said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
West said a part of learning how to die is acknowledging the way the people who loved him influenced him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to be true to the best that was poured into us,\u201d West said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
West and George discussed the importance of people seeking truth and having intellectual humility to admit when they\u2019ve been wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo much of our history as a species is the history of organized greed, institutionalized hatred and routinized indifference to the problem,\u201d West said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to combat this, West and George said people need to interact with those who have opposing beliefs with civility. West said loving friendships, like his and George\u2019s, need to rely on something deeper than civility, trust and love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Williams finished the lecture by thanking George and West and encouraging the audience to act on the things that they heard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe came here for a conversation on civil discourse, but what we heard was a sermon,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI call on all of us to repent.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harding alumna Josie Scott attended the lecture and said the presentation was insightful and relevant to issues in the world today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeeing evidence of how we can have intellectual, deep conversations with those who believe differently than us and still be friends was encouraging,\u201d Scott said. \u201cI really appreciated how they emphasized Christian values being the center of civil discourse.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Isaac Raymond said the lecture wasn\u2019t what he expected but found it was very convicting and something people needed to hear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey were both really brilliant, but also really accessible at the same time,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cI felt like we were talking about these transcendental ideals, but it was all about, \u2018How do I interact with the people I\u2019m around?\u2019 So, very convicting, very simple. People should have been here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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