The Virtues of a Liberal Education

Event description

Academic events
Free
Inclusion
Open to the public

What is liberal about a liberal arts education? And what is its value, especially in an era when artificial intelligence is omnipresent? If it is an education that befits a free person and citizen, as Western tradition contends, what sort of study can achieve this? What is the role of religion and theology in such study?

As we enter an uncertain future where artificial intelligence threatens to displace human thinking, labor, creativity and connection, Frey will address why the pursuit of virtue and wisdom through the traditional liberal arts is essential.

The Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Speaker Series on Religion and Conflict is an endowed lecture series that honors the life-long commitment of Maxine Besser Marshall ('76) and Jonathan Marshall to education, civil liberties and world peace.

About the speaker

Jennifer Frey
Jennifer A. Frey is a professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa, where she formerly served as the inaugural dean of the Honors College. Her research focuses on moral psychology and virtue. In 2015, Frey received a multi-million-dollar Templeton Foundation grant for the project Virtue, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life. She is the co-editor of Practical Truth: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives (Oxford, 2025) and Self-Transcendence and Virtue (Routledge, 2018). In addition to her scholarship, Frey writes for major outlets including The New York Times, First Things and The Wall Street Journal and hosts the podcast Sacred and Profane Love.

Logistics

This event is hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and will take place on the ASU Tempe campus in West Hall, Room 135, and will be live streamed through the Center's YouTube channel and on ASU Live. Whether you plan to participate via livestream or in-person, we appreciate you taking a moment to register. Your confirmation and reminder email will provide detailed directions to the venue, including parking information and key livestream details.

The lecture will consist of a special lecture by Jennifer Frey, followed by audience Q&A and a reception offering light refreshments.