Respresentation

"Disciplinary Fault Lines" -The 2010-11 IHR Faculty Seminar Series focuses on what it means to do disciplinary and inter-/transdisciplinary work in the Humanities. At the core of the series is the issue of disciplinary fault lines—areas within disciplinary frameworks that point to the perceived limits of that discipline. How do we know when we’ve reached the limits of an idea, or have exhausted all avenues of inquiry from within a disciplinary frame? How do disciplines look differently at the same topic or question? When do we know when the reach of the disciplinary no longer holds promise, and when inter- or transdisciplinary cross-pollination will bear fruit? These are the questions posed of the participants in the series, asking them to investigate points in their own work (on questions of freedom, the queer, and representation) where disciplinary fault lines create bridges to other disciplinary approaches, and help foster cross-disciplinary understanding.

Ángel Pinillos, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies

“Do Morality and Practical Interests Play a Role in what Counts as Knowledge?” - Recent work at the intersection of philosophy and psychology (experimental philosophy) suggests a new understanding of our concept of knowledge. Some of the new findings suggest that, contrary to what has been assumed by philosophers for hundreds of years, knowledge is not purely an intellectual concept. Rather, the notion is sensitive to moral considerations as well as one's practical interests. I discuss here my own findings which suggest that although knowledge may be sensitive to practical interests, the evidence for moral encroachment is less persuasive.

Mark Cruse, Assistant Professor, French, School of International Letters and Cultures

“Medieval Manuscripts and the Limits of Disciplinarity.” - Long before the invention of digital formats, medieval manuscripts were “sites” that combined different media and contents to allow easy access and multiple uses.  The protean form of manuscripts has longed posed challenges to scholars formed by the disciplinary organization of universities: philologists, musicologists, historians, and art historians have traditionally carved up manuscripts to focus on the content relevant to their particular fields.  Contemporary studies approaching manuscripts as signifying totalities are an attempt to overcome this epistemological fragmentation and to restore a more accurate picture of the meaning in medieval books.