Courtney presents philosophical talk

By: Dustin Looney
Features Editor

Monmouth College alumnus Charles Courtney lectured at his alma mater at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 29 in the Morgan Room of Poling Hall.

Courtney graduated from Monmouth five decades ago, in 1957, and went on to attend Harvard Divinity School and receive his P.h.D in philosophy from Northwestern University.

Since his notable schooling, he has become an accomplished individual. He held a job at Drew University as the school’s professor of philosophy and religion until 2004. Through the years, Courtney has evaluated many philosophers, and he used his experience in his lecture at Monmouth College.

His talk was derived from recent work by French philosopher Paul Ricoeur and it was titled “What, Who, We: Exploring Recognition.”

Courtney’s talk was appropriate for college students, as he explored how the three moments of recognition from his title “connect with experiences that are central to the life of every college student,” according to a flier made by Monmouth College’s department of philosophy and religious studies.

In his lecture, Courtney gave much valuable advice to Monmouth College students and encouraged them to think outside the box in their college years, stating, “College is a time for great change, even upheaval for what we believe in.”

Despite a large generation gap between Courtney and current Monmouth students, he was able to relate quite well to his audience, notably how he made them laugh several times with clever stories which related to his lecture.

Courtney said he learned much from his years at Monmouth College, specifically from fellow well-known Monmouth alumnus, Sam Thompson, who also taught philosophy here.

“I gained a deep appreciation for the history of philosophy. I am grateful to him for that,” Courtney said of Thompson. “Also, I’m grateful to Sam for insisting that we not sit in class and take notes; he insisted we pay attention—think about the class afterward.”

Courtney, who actually grew up in Monmouth, said he visits Monmouth College at least once each year and has lectured here in the past.

Although it has been 50 years since he was a student, Courtney still feels a strong sense of pride toward his former school.

“I have tried to follow the college over the years,” he said. “I’m really pleased to see all the new buildings and to see the enrollment is up.”