Harold Stoner Clark Lectures

The things that people eat have always undergone change, but today there are both technological innovations and novel environmental constraints that are driving change. How can we bring ethics to bear on the types of change that are shaping the food systems of the future? Paul B. Thompson will probe this question, emphasizing the way that we assess the risks of new food technology and scenarios for reshaping the food system in response to future challenges.

11:10 a.m. lecture  – “Four Archetypes for Future Food Systems”

4 p.m. lecture – “Social Amplification of Risk: The Ethical Questions”

Thompson is the W.K. Kellogg Professor of Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics at Michigan State University, where he also is a faculty member in the departments of Philosophy; Community Sustainability; and Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics. He has served in an advisory role to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and Genome Canada as well as to farm producer groups. His research explores ethical issues arising across the spectrum of food production, distribution and consumption, including biotechnology, animal welfare and food security. Trained in philosophy, Thompson is a two-time winner of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Award for Excellence in Communication. His book From Field to Fork: Food Ethics for Everyone (Oxford, 2015) was selected as “Book of the Year” by the North American Society for Social Philosophy.

The Harold Stoner Clark Lecture Series, endowed by the late Mr. Clark and sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, was established in 1985. Admission is free. 

Harold Stoner Clark Pre-lecture Discussion

The Philosophy Department will be hosting a presentation and discussion group from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, in the Lundring Events Center. Faculty, staff, students and classes are welcome! The goal of this presentation and discussion is to familiarize everyone with the topics of the upcoming Harold Stoner Clark Lectures to make them more enjoyable and understandable.

For information on the pre-lecture discussion, contact Brian Collins at briancollins@callutheran.edu.