March 29, 2016 - Philosopher Dr. Alexander Guerrero of the University of Pennsylvania will deliver a free public lecture titled, “Should we Choose Our Politicians by Lottery, Rather than Election?” as the keynote speaker for the annual Eastern Pennsylvania Philosophy Association (EPPA) meeting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, in the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center at King’s College.
Guerrero will discuss electoral democracies of modern political societies, identify several shortcomings and argue that the current electoral democracy is ill-equipped to respond to urgent contemporary political problems. He will outline an alternative to electoral democracy- a political system that uses lotteries, rather than elections, to select at least a significant portion of American political officials and potential ways to implement the system. His closing remarks will include potential consequences and concerns for the alternative approach to electoral democracy.
Guerrero currently serves as an assistant professor of philosophy in the School of Arts and Sciences and Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics and Healthy Policy in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
His academic research focuses on political, legal, and moral philosophy, as well as epistemological foundations of each discipline. He has published his academic work in several scholarly journals, including “Philosophical Studies, Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics,” and “Jurisprudence.” His has presented his research most recently at Stanford University, Drexel University, and the University of Louisville.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, Guerrero earned his doctorate in philosophy at New York University and Juris Doctorate at New York University School of Law. He is a member scholar of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
The EPPA is an affiliation of philosophers that live and teach in Eastern Pennsylvania. Local colleges and universities with philosophy departments take turns hosting its annual conference, at which philosophers from both inside and outside eastern Pennsylvania share papers and ideas. The EPPA is committed to promoting the study of philosophy and clarifying philosophy’s central role in academic study and its importance to the modern world.
The Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center is located between North Main and Franklin streets. Parking will be available in on-campus lots. For more information, please contact Dr. David Kyle Johnson, associate professor of philosophy at King’s College, via email at davidjohnson@kings.edu.
Dr. Alexander Guerrero will deliver a free public lecture, titled “Should we Choose Our Politicians by Lottery, Rather than Election?” at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, in the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center at King’s College.