Nasty, Brutish, and Short

by Scott Hershovitz

Thursday, November 9

7 p.m.

Inside the Five – 5703 Main St., Sylvania

$18 – includes dinner and author presentation

$36 – includes dinner, author presentation, and book 

 

Scott Hershovitz has two young sons, Rex and Hank. From the time they could talk, he noticed that they raised philosophical questions and were determined to answer them. They recreated ancient arguments. And they advanced entirely new ones. That’s not unusual, Hershovitz says. Every kid is a philosopher.

Following an agenda set by Rex and Hank, Hershovitz takes us on a fun romp through classic and contemporary philosophy, powered by questions like, Does Hank have the right to drink soda? When is it okay to swear? and, Does the number six exist? Hershovitz and his boys take on more weighty issues too. They explore punishment, authority, sex, gender, race, the nature of truth and knowledge, and the existence of G-d. Along the way, they get help from professional philosophers, famous and obscure.

Hershovitz is the Thomas G. and Mabel Long Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at The University of Michigan. He directs the University’s Law and Ethics Program and co-edits Legal Theory. Before joining the Michigan faculty, Hershovitz served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court and an attorney-advisor on the appellate staff of the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Julie; kids, Rex and Hank; and dog, Bailey. He loves baseball, barbecue, and tacos.