The annual Dr. Byron I. Bitar Memorial Lecture in Philosophy was endowed by the William C. Kriner Family in memory of Geneva College’s beloved professor of a quarter-century, in order to continue his legacy and vision for philosophy. The Lecture was inaugurated in 2004, a year after Dr. Bitar’s untimely death, and has been held every year since that time. The Bitar Lecture endowment enables Geneva College to have the rare privilege of inviting the world’s finest Christian philosophers to speak to the students, faculty, neighbors and friends of Geneva. Past lecturers include philosophers Stephen Evans, Nicholas Wolterstorff, James K.A. Smith, Alvin Plantinga, Paul Moser, and Merold Westphal.
In addition to the lectures, the Bitar event includes a dinner with the lecturer for faculty and invited guests from Geneva and other institutions, to honor the Lectures′ endowing families, the William Kriners and the family of Byron Bitar. It features the announcement of the annual Bitar Cash Prize for best student philosophy paper, a gift from Mrs. Gail Bitar. Also there is a dinner for philosophy majors and a master class for all Geneva students with the Lecture.
The mission of the Philosophy Program at Geneva College is: “Engaging the philosophical conversation, honing critical skills and passions, cultivating wisdom for service, for living, in submission to Jesus Christ the Truth."
For the 2018 Dr. Byron I. Bitar Memorial Lecture, Geneva College’s Philosophy Program is pleased to present Christian philosopher, John F. Crosby. Dr. Crosby’s lecture is entitled, “Dietrich von Hildebrand’s Defense of Beauty Against Its Detractors.” The lecture, which is open to the public, will be held on the campus, in Skye Lounge in the Student Center, Monday evening, April 9 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Crosby (B.A. Georgetown University, Ph.D. University of Salzburg) is Professor of Philosophy at nearby Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He is Director of the MA Philosophy Program, as well as Founder and Senior Fellow of the Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project.
Professor Crosby is known internationally for his work on John Henry Newman, Max Scheler, Karol Wojtyła, and Dietrich von Hildebrand. He has made a significant contribution to the area of philosophical anthropology or philosophy of the human person and has played a major role in the contemporary interest and discussion of that field through his books, The Selfhood of the Human Person (1996); Personalist Papers (2004); and The Personalism of John Henry Newman (2014), each published by Catholic University of America Press. He has also worked in the areas of ethics, phenomenological realism, and axiology, or value theory.
Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977) was an Austrian Christian philosopher in the first part of the twentieth century. The child of a famous sculptor, he grew up in a villa in Florence, Italy, surrounded by art and artists. He became a believer as a teen, then pursued philosophical training in a tradition of phenomenological realism (along with philosophers Karol Wojtyla and Gerard Ratzinger.) He is known especially for his contributions in ethics, surrounding matters of marriage and the family, as well as being the leading figure, in the public square, of the intellectual resistance to Nazism during World War II. His last work, published posthumously and only recently translated into English, is a two-volume work in aesthetics. This was a project that Dr. von Hildebrand anticipated writing throughout his lifetime.
For further information regarding the Bitar Lecture, contact Geneva College’s Philosophy Program Office, 724-847-6700. For more information about the Humanities program, Philosophy major or any of our more than 80 majors and programs, please contact Geneva College Admissions at admissions@geneva.edu or 800-847-8255.
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Apr 9, 2018
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