February 13, 2020, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Universities and the Search for Truth: The Unanticipated Education of an Idealist
Born long ago, in a place far away (Brooklyn, to be precise), Paul Marantz went off to university to study physics but wound up specializing in Soviet politics and the Cold War. He arrived at UBC for what he assumed would be a short stay, but remained here for his entire career. Along the way, he came to appreciate the importance of collegiality, civility, and mutual respect; he shed some comforting illusions; learned much about the challenges of engaging in the fair-minded weighing of evidence; and witnessed the entirely unexpected demise of the Soviet Union and cessation of the Cold War. Over the years, academic fashions changed, and earlier ideas about truth and free speech are now widely contested.
Co-sponsors: Emeritus College and Green College; organizer Emeritus Professor Ken Carty. For more, see www.greencollege.ubc.ca. Come at 4:30 for tea and coffee in the Green College Piano Lounge and stay for refreshments after the talks. To attend dinner, please make a reservation no later than noon on the business day before the day on which you want to dine. Without prior reservation, we cannot guarantee that you will be served. Pay for your meal at the servery counter by cash, debit or credit (MasterCard, Visa). For reservations call 604-822-0912, or email kitchen@gcdining.ca.