Historian examines liberalism

Whether a historian or political scientist can legitimately express preferences among types of government; how people reconcile economic liberalism and political liberalism; and whether the “liberal temper” is inherently utopian or realistic are the issues to be addressed in a lecture Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Music Hall.

Historian Peter Gay will present “The Liberal Temper: A Study in Political Psychoanalysis” as part of the Center for the Humanities‘s Humanities Without Boundaries lecture series.

The lecture continues Gay’s work on the relationships among politics, culture and psychology, and it will explore aspects of liberalism as matters of character.

Born during Germany’s Weimar era, Gay fled Germany for the United States via Cuba just before the Nazi invasion of Poland. After earning degrees at the University of Denver and Columbia University, he taught for 22 years at Columbia and for 24 years at Yale, where he now holds the post of Sterling Professor of History (Emeritus). Until recently, he served as director of the Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.

Information: 263-3409.