Simmons to present “Overcoming Selfishness in a Selfie Culture” March 26

Feb. 26, 2019

Dr. J. Aaron Simmons, associate professor of philosophy at Furman University, will present “Overcoming Selfishness in a Selfie Culture” on Tues., March 26 at Maryville College.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Fayerweather Hall’s Lawson Auditorium (in the basement of the building) from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. Following the presentation, Simmons will have books available for purchase. The event is sponsored by the Maryville College Division of Humanities and the Lifelong Learners Club.

“It is difficult to go anywhere and not see people taking pictures of themselves,” according to Simmons’s presentation description. “Indeed, there is data that suggests that average food service times have gone down due to the number of waiters having to take pictures of people with their food! How are we to make sense of the moral implications of this postmodern cultural situation? In this presentation, Simmons will think about various moral alternatives that respond to the egoism that tends to underwrite so many of our cultural norms. Ultimately, Simmons will contend that some strains of postmodern ethics offer profound resources for taking selfies without being selfish while doing so!”

Simmons earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. He is the author or editor of nine books, nearly 100 articles, and numerous other popular audience works. A popular speaker and teacher, he has been a TedX speaker and a consultant to corporate audiences on issues related to business and leadership. He is the vice president of the Søren Kierkegaard Society, a former regional board member of the Society for Christian Philosophy, and he is currently on the executive committee of the Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology. His most recent book is the edited volume, Christian Philosophy: Conceptions, Continuations, and Challenges (Oxford University Press, 2019).

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”