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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi everyone,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This week's speaker in the University of Sydney Philosophy Seminar Series is Glen Pettigrove, (University of Glasgow)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The title of the talk is "The Well-Tempered Musician: On the Virtue of Obedience and the Value of Tradition". Here is an abstract for the talk:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt">At the time Thomas Aquinas wrote the Summa Theologia, no one would have been surprised to find him arguing that obedience is a moral virtue. They are not even likely to have been taken aback by the claim that
it ‘is more praiseworthy than the other moral virtues’ (ST II-II, Q 104, A 3). Eight centuries later, the situation is decidedly different. Far from arguing for its pre-eminence, the average 21st century western reader is more likely to be sceptical about
the claim that obedience is a virtue. We will admit that in some domains a readiness to take orders is necessary, such as within a military command structure. But even here we are likely to think it more a necessary evil than a kind of excellence. The one
exception might be among children, and it is a trait we expect them to grow out of.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt">Against this backdrop, Christine Swanton’s recent call for virtue theorists to revive the virtue of obedience will come as a surprise (2021, 270-271). Swanton recommends thinking about obedience as a role-based
virtue. This strikes us as promising. If there is such a virtue, it makes sense to think of it as partly defined by social roles. Our aim is to explore the contours of obedience and consider whether it can help us address a lively debate in the philosophy
of music regarding the obligations of classical performers. </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The seminar will take place at 3:30pm on Wednesday Apr 24 in the Philosophy Seminar Room (N494).</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Enquiries about the seminar series can be directed to ryan.cox@sydney.edu.au</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ryan Cox</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Associate Lecturer in Philosophy</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Discipline of Philosophy</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">School of Humanities</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">University of Sydney</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">ryan.cox@sydney.edu.au</p>
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