Reuman Reading Group

Every semester, the Philosophy Department at Colby College sponsors the Robert E. Reuman Reading Group, an informal faculty-student reading group for philosophers and friends to meet and philosophize. Although the group was officially established in 1998, its roots go much further back in the Department’s history to Professor Reuman who regularly organized and hosted similar groups. Bob Reuman was an extraordinary professor of philosophy, combining intellectual profundity and moral integrity with intellectual integrity and moral profundity. The Reuman Reading Group was established by his colleagues, students, prison-mates*, and friends as fitting and lasting reminder of what can be so special about philosophy at a residential liberal arts college.

In its current iteration, The Reuman Reading Group meets six times a semester to discuss big questions through brief texts. Each text is chosen by a faculty member who attends the corresponding discussion as a guest; the discussion is facilitated by students. Students can take the course for one non-graded credit (PL277) or show up informally and simply join the conversation. Our theme for Spring 2024 is “Liberation.” The schedule and link to readings is here. Everyone is welcome!

* Bob Reuman was sentenced to a year and a day (making him officially a felon) in a federal penitentiary for refusing to register for the peace-time draft. The draft board could not understand how the captain of a college football team and the president of his fraternity could be, on purely philosophical grounds, a genuine conscientious objector. For full memorial minutes for Bob Reuman, a eulogy can be read here.