Metaphorizing Animals; All too human Leibniz

An essay by Heather King; an event with Audrey Borowski and Catherine Wilson

Dear all,

The first of December is here, bringing with it the festive season and a sense of an ending. Whether you actively celebrate the season or, like me, simply use it as an opportunity to keep your kids busy with crafting decorations and counting down the calendar, it helps to endure the short days and cold weather. It's also a wonderful time to engage in philosophical reflections. Here's what The Philosopher has to offer this week.

Your Sunday Read
“Metaphorizing Animals”
An Essay by Heather King

In this essay, Heather King looks to art and literature in an attempt to think through our affectual relationships to, and with, non-human animals. She is interested in how we influence, care for, love, and shape each other, within and beyond species demarcations. Her main focus is on the ease with which animals become metaphorized in interpretations and analyses of art. You can read the essay here.

Monday Event: 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm UK/8pm CET
“Leibniz in His World”
Audrey Borowski in conversation with Catherine Wilson

Described by Voltaire as “perhaps a man of the most universal learning in Europe,” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is often portrayed as a rationalist and philosopher who was wholly detached from the worldly concerns of his fellow men. In this event, Audrey Borowski will challenge the image of Leibniz as an isolated genius, revealing instead a man of multiple identities whose thought was shaped by a deep engagement with the social and intellectual milieus of his time. Borowski will show us Leibniz as he was known to his contemporaries, enabling us to rediscover him as an enigmatic young man who was complex and all too human. You can find out more and register here.

Event Recording

Ending
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Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, whether it’s a weekend where you are or a workday.

Maryam Aghdami
Managing Editor