Food for Thoughts - Sense & Sensibility: The Philosophy of Sight, Smell, Sound, Taste and Touch

How much of life— and of history—is contingent upon the senses? A small taste of a madeleine cake inspired Marcel Proust’s sprawling seven-volume novel about the nature of memory. Places from the Spice Islands to India were conquered to give Europeans better access to fragrant cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. The sound of trumpets might herald the start of the Apocalypse or the end of a military funeral.
In this Food For Thought season, we will explore the relationship between reality and the five senses. Join us on Wednesdays for dinner at Harrison College House as we evaluate the relationship between our vision and objectivity; taste, smell and memory; hearing and attention; touch and embodiment; and whether human beings can be said to have a sixth sense or more.
Dates: Wednesdays, 5:45 pm to 7:00 pm. Dinner and readings will be provided for all participants.
• September 10
• September 17
• September 24
• October 1
• October 8
Location: Harrison College House, University of Pennsylvania
Registration: This program is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. To sign up, please complete the form available here.
Registration deadline: Friday, September 5
Please direct any questions to Quinn Moore (qmoore@collegiuminstitute.org).