Professors in the Pub: Why Research?

Each month, come to Café des Taxis to have a drink and discuss important world events with professors and subject-matter experts. Share your questions and views and join the long tradition of politics in the pub! 

This month:

Ought we research topics that are close to our hearts, or that fire us up in some way? Increasingly, it seems, academics and students are answering “absolutely yes” to these questions. In a sense, it was ever thus; to not care about one’s topic seems to run counter to some of our most cherished academic principles.

But can it be dangerous to take on topics in which we are personally invested? Should we write for what’s fashionable and marketable in the moment? Is there a case to be made for “disinterested research”? Is there some kind of happy medium between two extremes? Should we give a damn about our research—and our findings? And what is the impact of AI on these questions?

Come discuss these questions and ask your own on March 14, 2024, at 6:30 pm in Café des Taxi.

The lead professor will be Gerald Power, Chair of the Department of History and Philosophy.