The Gilbert Ryle Lecture Series: Kant on Aesthetic Self-Legislation in Liberalism featuring Dr. Dominic McIver Lopes
Trent University’s Department of Philosophy is pleased to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gilbert Ryle Lecture Series, a longstanding tradition of bringing distinguished philosophers to campus to explore important questions in philosophy and society.
To mark this milestone, the 2026 Ryle Lecture Series welcomes Dr. Dominic McIver Lopes, Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy, for a special three-lecture series exploring The Political Promise of Aesthetic Engagement.
Lecture 1: Kant on Aesthetic Self Legislation in Liberalism
This lecture examines Immanuel Kant’s account of aesthetic judgment and asks whether his idea of the “pure judgment of taste” offers a model for sharing values across differences. Dr. Dominic McIver Lopes considers what aesthetic experience can teach us about self legislation, disagreement, and the possibility of living together despite diverse perspectives on value.
About Dr. Dominic McIver Lopes
Professor Dominic McIver Lopes FRSC, is the University Killam Professor at UBC, and is the author of several books, including Aesthetic Injustice (2024) and Being for Beauty: Aesthetic Agency and Value (2018). In recent work, he has crafted a theory of aesthetic value as embedded in social practices, and he has proposed a conception of aesthetic injustice as a factor in social injustice. Professor Lopes is the author of twelve books and numerous articles in the areas of Aesthetics, Asian Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind/Cognitive Science, and Social and Political Philosophy.
For more information email philosophy@trentu.ca.
Community Speaker Series
At Trent University, we believe in the power of lifelong learning and professional development for our alumni, staff, faculty, students, and community members. Each year, Trent offers public lectures featuring distinguished visiting scholars and experts, sharing ideas and knowledge on subjects such as the Environment, Business and Public Policy, Philosophy, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Thanks to generous philanthropic support, these talks are free and open to both the Trent community and the public.