Prophets of the Unicontext
A Conversation with Professor Agnes Callard
How you are supposed to act was, for most of human history, situation specific: a function of exactly where you are, what role you are in, what kinds of people you are with, and so on. Over the past hundred or so years, we have been moving more and more towards a world governed by abstract systems of norms that apply universally.
Dr. Callard calls this “the unicontext,” and believes it helps explain many features of modern life such as: the increase of certain forms of political hostility, the prevalence of advice, the struggle to manage one’s own attention, negativity bias, the increasing foothold of rankings and metrics, and more.
According to Professor Callard, modernist writers were the first to fasten upon the unicontext—a theme she will explore through the work of modernist writers Robert Musil, Hermann Broch, and potentially others.
Dr. Callard is the Author of:
- Open Socrates, Published by W.W. Norton & Company, 2025
- Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming, Published by Oxford University Press, 2018
- and many more chapters and articles
Read more about Dr. Callard at University of Chicago website here.
This talk takes place on Thursday, October 22, from 5:00 – 6:30 PM in the University Events Room in Glickman Library on the Portland campus.
The Louden Family Lecture Series
Professor Robert Louden, who retired from the University of Southern Maine in 2022 , left the Philosophy Department a financial gift to fund this lecture series. The lecture series aims to promote dialogue, foster a sense of belonging, and create fresh perspectives by bringing together diverse ideas and viewpoints in an engaging and thought-provoking way. These lectures will be open to the full University community and the public as part of Louden’s and the Philosophy Department’s commitment to the value of philosophy. An eminent scholar on the works of philosopher Immanuel Kant, Professor Louden continues to travel, lecture, and write and translate philosophical works.