"James Madison's Political Philosophy: Angels, Philosophers, and Machines" is the subject of the John M. Turner Lecture in the Humanities by Richard K. Matthews at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 in Sydnor Performance Hall, Schewel Hall.
Matthews is the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences and chair of the Department of Political Science at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
The author of six books and numerous articles and reviews, Matthews has written about political values and such historical figures as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His most recent book, The Philosophic Roots of Modern Ideology: Liberalism, Communism, Fascism, Islamism (Prentice-Hall, 2001) is undergoing edits for a fourth edition. Alexander Hamilton and the Creation of a Heroic State (University Press of Kansas) will be published in 2012.
Matthews has earned numerous honors including the Pan-Hellenic Outstanding Faculty Award, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Pennsylvania Professor of the Year, three Superior Teaching Awards from Lafayette College, and Lehigh University's Stabler Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Matthews earned his Ph.D. in political economy at the University of Toronto, his M.A. in political science at the University of Delaware, and his B.A. magna cum laude at Muhlenberg College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Established in 1992 by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and contributions from alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Lynchburg College, the John M. Turner Distinguished Chair in the Humanities and the Turner Lecture were named in honor of Dr. John Mills Turner '29, English professor, dean of the College, vice president for academic affairs, and one of the most beloved and respected members of the Lynchburg College community from 1933 to 1974.