Reasoning in a Just society; UO conference addresses issues in argument

EUGENE, Ore. -- (May 2, 2008) -- As public debates become more polarized and downright belligerent, some people are looking for more reasonable and civil ways to address differences of opinion.

Scholars from around the world will gather at the University of Oregon from May 17-20 to discuss "The Promise of Reason," the topic of an international conference organized by the UO English department's Center for Teaching Writing.

More than 100 international scholars will give presentations on topics such as legal reasoning, peaceful conflict resolution, arguments from religious authority, reasoning about human rights, the role of opposition in a just society and feministic perspectives on argument.

The three-day conference will be attended by scholars from across the U.S., Israel, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, Taiwan, Brazil, The Netherlands and Canada.

"We expect this conference to establish ways in which the philosophical traditions of rhetoric can be used to improve the quality of public debate," said conference organizer John Gage, UO professor of English and author of The Shape of Reason. "An important role for scholars of these disciplines is to contribute to a better overall understanding of how argumentation works and how it can be a tool for peaceful civil engagement."

The conference will feature "The Contrarian Forum," in which prominent advocates David Horowitz, founder of The Freedom Center, and Cary Nelson, president of the American Association of University Professors, will debate the controversial topic of political bias in the college classroom.

The free event is open to the public at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19, in the Morse Event Center of Northwest Christian College, 828 E. 11th Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m.

The Contrarian Forum will be also be presented in Portland at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, in the UO’s new White Stag Block facility at 70 N.W. Couch St.

The conference commemorates the 50th anniversary of the publication of the influential book, "The New Rhetoric," by Chaim Perelman and Lucie-Olbrechts-Tyteca. It will feature an address by Noemi Mattis Perelman, who will discuss her father’s work as a philosopher who participated in the Belgian underground resistance during WWII and who wrote his theories of rhetoric in response to the Holocaust. Along with other philosophers, Perelman was an influential contributor to the founding in 1945 of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

"The Promise of Reason Conference is, according to me, the most important event which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Perelman’s Treatise On Argumentation," said Emmanuel de Jonge, professor of humanities at the University of Brussels, where Chaïm Perelman taught and worked.

"As a European scholar living in Israel and director with professor Ruth Amossy of the Research group ADARR (Analysis of Discourse, Argumentation, Rhetoric), I am very interested in learning how American colleagues perceive Perelman's New Rhetoric today, " said Roselyne Koren, professor, Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel.

Memorabilia from the life and career of Chaim Perelman will be on display in the EMU, and artifacts from the history of teaching rhetoric and composition at the University of Oregon will be featured at the Knight Library.

In addition, the Promise of Reason conference will include a welcoming address by the UO's Steven Shankman, the only holder in the U.S. of a UNESCO Chair in Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue and Peace.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

Source: Teresa Coronado, 541-346-1514, promreas@uoregon.edu
John Gage, 541-346-3922, jgage@uoregon.edu

Link: Promise of Reason conference, www.uoregon.edu/~promreas
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