October 9th, 2025-- The University of Colorado-Denver's Philosophy Department has invited their very own Dr. Pedro Brea to present to our community. He will be discussing his research in a presentation titled, "The Forgotten Moral Function of Reason" in Plaza Building, Suite M108 in the Haber Library.
Abstract: This paper recovers the ethical function of reason by distinguishing between instrumental and authentic modes of thought. Instrumental reason—the preeminence of which has been historically shaped by scholasticism, Cartesian method, the scientific revolution, and academic specialization—reduces reasoning to calculation and mastery. We argue, rather, that authentic reason is inherently ethical, orienting our existence toward truth, sustaining ambiguity, and grounding responsibility. Drawing especially from Plato, Karl Jaspers, Henri Bergson, and Simone Weil, we argue that authentic reason is both morally transformative and inseparable from love. The task of this paper is thus twofold: First, to diagnose how reducing rationality to instrumentality impoverishes thinking. Second, to recover reason’s forgotten ethical function by showing that reason, in its authentic form, is not about logical problem-solving, but a commitment to the other’s freedom through the loving struggle of open dialogue.
Refreshments and conversation will follow the event.