(Virtual Service) The Dark Side of Human Nature: Being Peaceful in a Troubled World

Daniel Breyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy at Illinois State University in Normal, will speak on the topic, The Dark Side of Human Nature: Being Peaceful in a Troubled World.  Most of us think of ourselves as good people—reserving the concept of the “dark side” only for science fiction or psychopaths.  But that’s not really the truth of human nature.  We’ll explore how the dark side relates both to our tendencies toward immorality and evil and to some of the most problematic aspects of the human condition.

Dr. Breyer also serves as the director of the Religious Studies program. He received a BA in Classics from the University of Montana, an MA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, and a PhD in Philosophy from Fordham University.  His research explores what it means to be a person and those features of ourselves we think are most important but also most puzzling.  With this focus, he has addressed questions in the areas of epistemology, ethics, moral psychology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, and Buddhist philosophy. In 2019, Dr. Breyer released a lectures series with The Great Courses called Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature.  Right now, he’s working on two projects: an Audible Original on luck and a book with Routledge on paradoxes, puzzles, and thought experiments in world philosophy.

After services, from 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM, we will open Zoom for informal general discussion, as well as an opportunity to join a conversation group with Dr. Daniel Breyer.

Please note: this service will be hosted via Zoom. Subscribe to our Sunday service mailing list below to get this service’s Zoom information. We will send you an email one week prior.

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