Philosophy professor considers what it means to have a meaningful life

Jan. 26, 2016 — Dr. Daniel Guentchev, assistant professor of philosophy at Bemidji State University, examines the basic human need for a meaningful life through aestetic experiences that promote unity and growth beyond the everyday interactions that we encounter. Guentchev will share his insight on the subject Feb. 2 as a part of the Honor Council Lecture Series.

Guentchev’s lecture, “John Dewey on Aesthetic Experience, Meaning, and Education”, begins at 7 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer Hall 112. BSU’s Honor Council lectures are open to everyone free of charge.

During the lecture, Guentchev will examine the philosophy of American philosopher John Dewey who suggests that we are aware of the role each element of an aestetic experience plays in leading up to a culmination that we look forward to. Guentchev will argue that Dewey’s aesthetic experience is the same as a meaningful one as well as share how education is most influential when it takes on the form of an aesthetic experience.

“To have a meaningful life, we have to look at all of our actions all of our experiences in the context of larger whole,” Guentchev said. “So we have to look for the connections. Why am I in this particular class and how does my being in this particular class that I may have had no interest in originally contribute to the larger whole that I call my life? How does the whole that I call my life figure into the larger whole that I call my community?”

About Dr. Daniel Guentchev

Dr. Daniel Guentchev is an assistant professor in Bemidji State University’s Department of Philosophy. Before joining the BSU faculty, he studied drawing under private tutors in his native Plovdiv, Bulgaria until moving to Poultney, VT where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in studio art and philosophy. He later recieved his master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Toledo and a PhD at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

About the Honors Council Lecture Series

The Honors Council Lecture Series is hosted by the Bemidji State University Honors Council. The council is the advisory group to the honors program composed of 12 faculty members representing each of the university’s colleges. Student representatives are also elected to the council by their cohorts for one-year terms.