Quadrants 1 & 2

Oct 14 2025
When: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: Harman Academy for Polymathic Study, DML 241
Event Type: Quadrants
RSVP Required
RSVP By: Mon, 10/13/2025

Event Details

The ACADEMY FOR POLYMATHIC STUDY guides its inquiries through four flexible pathways or QUADRANTS: (1) critical and integrative thinking; (2) study of the polymaths; (3) the tapestry of knowledge; and (4) communication. To explicate these quadrants more fully, USC professor EDWIN McCANN will conduct four conversational workshops during the Fall term from a philosophical, historical, and practical point of view. Attendance at these sessions covering all four quadrants is required for certification as an Academy fellow.

For this session we will be examining Quadrants (1) critical and integrative thinking; and (2) study of the polymaths.

Speaker Information

Speaker
Photo of Ed McCann

Edwin McCann

Professor of Philosophy and English

A philosopher, literary scholar, and historian, Professor Ed McCann’s research interests center in the history of modern philosophy, especially Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Newton, Kant, and the great early 20th century polymath Ludwig Wittgenstein. One example of his innovative approach to philosophical and historical inquiry, Professor McCann guides his students to view trials as crucial indicators of society coming to terms with threatening concepts and their implications. Professor McCann is a treasure-trove of knowledge who patiently walks students through not only the complex historical conditions, but also the intellectual climate of each era.