The Origins of Morality: Yasir Qadhi & Russ Shafer-Landau

Join us in a discussion on the origins of morality with Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and Professor Russ Shafer-Landau on Thursday April 19th! Our first panelist Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, PhD, is the Dean of Academic Affairs at AlMaghrib Institute. He is one of the few people who has combined a traditional Eastern Islamic seminary education with a Western academic training of the study of Islam. Shaykh Yasir graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. After completing a diploma in Arabic, he graduated with a B.A. from the College of Hadith and Islamic Sciences, and then completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah. He then returned to America, and completed a PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University. He has authored several books, published academic articles, and appeared on numerous satellite and TV stations around the globe. His online videos are of the most popular and highly-watched Islamic videos in English. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is a resident Scholar of the Memphis Islamic Center. He is also a professor at Rhodes College, in the Department of Religious Studies. Our Second Panelist Professor Russ Shafer-Landau is a professor of philosophy here at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and has also formally taught at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill where he also served as the Director of the Parr Center of Ethics. His work largely focuses on metaethics. He is also the author of three books: Whatever Happened to Good and Evil?, The Fundamentals of Ethics, and Moral Realism: A Defense. Professor Shafer-Landau is also the editor of the three volume series, the Oxford Studies in Metaethics. Wisconsin Union Directorate Society and Politics is a non-partisan group of students that make it easy for people to talk, listen, and learn about the current events and challenges facing society. Committee members program all types of events on campus covering a wide range of topics. We also have weekly engaged, respectful discussions on current topics from 8-9pm in the Memorial Union. Bringing together diverse students, faculty, staff, members and guests with a rich range of values and ideas allows us to get to know and understand one another. Throughout the process, students learn about themselves and the world around us while also building long-lasting friendships. Stay updated with current topics by liking our Facebook page, WUD Society & Politics.