Annual lectures, talks and conferences

The Faculty of Theology and Philosophy is delighted to host leading local and international theologians and philosophers from all over the world who deliver a range of public events addressing a diversity of topics.

Symposiums

Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value

The Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value is hosted by the School of Philosophy. It was first held in 2000, an initiative of Professor Raimond Gaita. It is a free public lecture held annually in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Each year, a distinguished international scholar is invited to give a public lecture and academic seminar at ACU. The lectures are inspired by Simone Weil's ethical vision that is rooted in attentive compassion and obligation to others, her unstinting desire for the Good, and her non-negotiable commitment to justice.

This year, ACU was thrilled to have Professor Stan Grant present the lecture on 'When Words Fail Us: Reclaiming a Language of Love'.

Learn more about the Simone Weil lecture

Past lecturers have included:

• Associate Professor Matthew Sharpe, National Head of School, Philosophy, Australian Catholic University
• Mr Scott Stephens, ABC's Religion and Ethics Editor, and co-host of The Minefield
• Professor Michael Morgan, Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Jewish Studies
• Professor Mark Alfano, Associate Professor of Ethics and Philosophy, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands and Professor of Philosophy, ACU
• Professor Robert Audi, Professorial Fellow, ACU and John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
• Professor Eleonore Stump, Professorial Fellow, ACU and Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University, Missouri
• Associate Professor Jeffrey Bloechl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Boston College.

Conferences and workshops

Conferences and workshops actively contribute to the flourishing of academic disciplines and academic profiles. Here is a listed of selected recent past events. New events will be added separately as announced.

Past events

Conferences and workshops hosted by the faculty in recent years have included:

• AAP Conference (2023)
• ACU Luminaries Series (2023)
• Conference on Perception (2023)
• Heidegger and the Greeks workshop (2022)
• The Phenomenology of Affect international e-conference (2021)
• A Very Short History of Being Oneself: Theological, Philosophical and Aesthetic Perspectives with Professor Claude Romano (2021)
• International Conference on Comparative Theology (2019)
• Asia-Pacific Conference on Comparative Theology (2017)
• "Heidegger and Nature" Workshop (2017)
• The Annual Conference of the Colloquium on Violence & Religion (COV&R) and 6th Annual Conference of the Australian Girard Seminar (2016)
• International Ethics Conference, Reasons and Virtues (2015)
• COMIUCAP Conference, Civil Society and Human Formation: Philosophy's Role in a Renewed Understanding of the Meaning of Education (2015)
• Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Annual Conference (2015).