John Sisk speaks about American attitudes toward ceremony and ritual and the changes in those attitudes over time. He offers his thoughts on the human potential movement.
The second segment [4:00] is the first part of a series on philosophy and public policy in the 1980s, a discussion among William Bennett, Steven Cahn, James Rachels, and George Sher. They address the varying amounts of influence that philosophers have had on public policy, from John Locke’s inspiring effect on the Founding Fathers to a more direct influence by theorists at the end of the twentieth century. Also discussed are common misunderstandings about philosophers in society, the increase in the study of contemporary moral philosophy, and the philosophical underpinnings of medical ethics.
At the time of this interview, Sisk was professor of English at Gonzaga University.
Bennett was director of the National Humanities Center; Cahn was associate director of the humanities division of the Rockefeller Foundation; Rachels was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Sher, a Fellow at the Center (1980-81), was professor of philosophy at the University of Vermont.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
