All University Archives

Historically, the American University Department of Philosophy sponsored many annual lecture series and guest lectures. This collection contains a selection of digitized lectures (1961-1980) from the annual Bishop John F. Hurst lecture series, the annual Faith and Freedom lectures, and other individual guest lectures. The Bishop John Fletcher Hurst Philosophy Lecture was initiated by the Department of Philosophy and Religion and named for the founder of American University, who was himself a philosopher. Offered annually in the spring, it brings to the American University campus some of the most distinguished thinkers from this country and abroad. As a result, students had immediate contact with those shaping philosophical theory in many fields. The department has consistently invited lecturers who are working on the frontiers of contemporary thought and who are relevant to many other disciplines, including aesthetics, the social and natural sciences, history, literature, ethics and the philosophy of religion.