Conferences and Speakers
Saint Louis University’s Department of Philosophy hosts three recurring conference series — the Henle, Res Philosophica, and graduate conferences — and two speakers series.
Henle Conference
Held every other year, the Henle Conference was founded in 1993 by Eleonore Stump, the Robert J. Henle Chair of Philosophy. The Henle Conference brings internationally renowned scholars to SLU to present work on topics relevant to the interests of the philosophy department.
A different faculty member organizes each Henle Conference according to his or her area of interest. Past focus areas include Descartes’ philosophy, experimental knowledge, philosophy of perception, medieval metaphysics, and the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato.
SLU hosted the last Henle Conference on March 22-23, 2024. If you have questions about the 2024 Henle Conference, contact John Peck, john.peck@slu.edu.
Visit the Henle Conference Website
Res Philosophica Conference
Different faculty members collaborate with the editor of the Res Philosophica journal to organize the Res Philosophica Conferences. Res Philosophica publishes papers from the conference in a special issue and funds the event. These conferences occur every other year, in the off-years of the Henle Conference. Recent topics and years include Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice (2019), Race and Gender (2017), Bridging Formal and Traditional Epistemology (2016), and Transformative Experiences (2014).
Graduate Student Conference
The Graduate Student Conference is an annual event, typically held during the fall term. Each year, the Philosophy Graduate Student Association chooses and organizes the conference around a central philosophical theme or topic. Traditionally, one or two prominent philosophers are invited to give a keynote lecture on the conference topic. The conference provides a venue for graduate students to present their work and a unique opportunity to interact with eminent scholars in their fields of interest.
Department Colloquium Series
The Department of Philosophy invites philosophers to present and discuss their work with our faculty and graduate students throughout the academic year. Lectures typically run for one hour, followed by a 45-minute discussion period. Unless otherwise noted, talks occur on Friday afternoons in room 142 of Adorjan Hall.
Res Philosophica Speaker Series
Res Philosophica, the department's journal, sponsors a few lectures each academic year. Faculty members nominate speakers, and Res Philosophica publishes the papers presented.
Wade Memorial Lecture
The Wade Memorial Lecture is held annually in honor of William Wade, S.J., who chaired the department from 1943 to 1966. Wade was responsible for building an outstanding department that included James Collins, Leonard Eslick, George Klubertanz, S.J., Robert J. Henle, S.J., and others. Throughout the years, Wade lecturers have reflected the growing and changing interests of SLU’s philosophy department, and are most often keynote speakers at the Henle Conference.
Ad Hoc Conferences and Speakers
In addition to these regular conferences and speaker series, department members often organize individual conferences devoted to philosophical topics of special interest. In recent history, for example, the department has hosted the fifth meeting of the Saint Louis Area Philosophy of Science Association, organized by Kent Staley, Ph.D. and the first annual Midwest Annual Workshop in Metaphysics, organized by Jonathan Jacobs, Ph.D..