Sherif Girgis will come to Hillsdale’s campus for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 21, to give a lecture entitled “A Defense of Marriage.” The lecture, sponsored by The Lyceum, will be in Phillips Auditorium at 4 p.m.
“I’ll be talking about what marriage is, and why it matters for policy,” Girgis said. “I’ll also address why same-sex and other non-conjugal forms of companionship aren’t true marriages, and how redefining civil marriage harms the common good.”
Girgis co-authored a book in 2012 on marriage entitled “What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense” that expanded upon his paper, “What is Marriage?” The paper was Social Science Research Network’s most downloaded paper after it was published in 2011.
Girgis earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy at Princeton University, graduating in 2008 Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude. He then went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, earning a master’s degree in moral, political, and legal philosophy.
Currently, Girgis is working toward a doctorate in philosophy at Princeton and a Juris Doctor at Yale Law School.
Girgis’ lecture will be followed by a book signing. His book is currently available in the bookstore and will also be available for purchase after the lecture.
“Sherif is a brilliant, young intellectual whose recent book is the best thing going on marriage,” said Nathan Schlueter, professor of philosophy. “If you want the very best arguments for defending traditional marriage, this is it.”
– Kelsey Drapkin
