Philosophy Cafe: Lament for a ‘pre-Modern’ Nation? Grant on Canadian Identity – Dr. Ann Ward

The Philosophy Café is an open exchange of philosophical ideas led by a University of Regina Philosophy Professor or a Graduate Student. The Café runs each Fall and Winter semester. Presented By: Dr. Ann Ward Dr. Ward is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Campion College at the U of R. This talk will revisit George Grant’s classic text Lament for a Nation: the Defeat of Canadian Nationalism to discover the political philosophy underlying both Grant’s support and critique of the politics of Prime Ministers such as Harper and Diefenbaker. Two key paradoxes in Grant’s position are explored. First, Grant is a pro-British supporter of the Commonwealth and an English Canadian nationalist who embraces the aspirations of Catholic Quebec. Second, Grant is a conservative who is nonetheless hostile to “corporate capitalism” and endorses the economic aspirations of the NDP. This paper also explores the concepts of modernity and progress understood by Grant to be the deeper philosophic cause of Canada’s loss of independence. Modern political theory, Grant argues, teaches freedom as the human essence, and the modern theory of progress, spearheaded by the United States, espouses the universal, homogeneous society as the key instrument for making the essence of

More information at: http://www.uregina.ca/events/philosophy-cafe-lament-for-a-pre-modern-nation-grant-on-canadian-identity-dr-ann-ward