Those interested in English, sociology, history and the social sciences came together Tuesday afternoon to discus and debate the concept of humanism in an event titled “Untangling the Crisis in the Humanities: A Binghamton Prophet.”

Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan, who received his Ph.D. in English from Binghamton University in 1983, took a break from his position as Chancellor’s Professor in English and Comparative Literature at UC Irvine for few days to deliver a lecture inspired by his teacher and mentor, BU professor William V. Spanos.

Radhakrishnan’s talk related Spanos’ theories of humanities to Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher, and Edward Said, a Palestinian American thinker and literary theorist. He said he hoped to examine the idea of humanism, a system of thought that focuses on secular human responsibility, and critique it alongside notions of nationalism.

Radhakrishnan encouraged the audience to question their beliefs and challenge themselves by thinking critically on the subject of humanism.

“Make the distinction between filial and affiliation,” Radhakrishnan said. “When you say, ‘I am naturally something,’ what does that mean?”

Spanos, who attended the presentation, said that he found it stimulating.

“Being human to me is that we live in a world where we can’t do it all, we’re assigned to ourselves when we strip ourselves of using abstract higher causes,” Spanos said. “It means a kind of radical, finite humanism. We therefore need each other.”

According to Susan Strehle, an English professor at BU, the organizers were extremely impressed with the turnout, noting the hall was so full they ran out of seats

“It was a little awkward to have people on the floor,” Strehle said. “But then again they were on the floor because there were so many of them, so kind of cool all the way around.”

Many reactions to the lecture were positive, as listeners said they appreciated Radhakrishnan’s openness to questions and comments with the audience during and after the lecture.

“I thought the talk was really successful, not only in terms of the content, but also in professor Radhakrishnan’s generosity with his time and willingness to have a dialogue with his audience after the presentation,” said Hannah Ledford, a second-year Ph.D. student studying English.

Radhakrishnan’s lecture provoked conversation amongst the listeners about the academics’ theories and their impacts.

“The talk was a celebration of Spanos’ work and his ability to incorporate the Heideggerian theories of ontology with Said’s politics,” Ledford said. “He recognizes that these things are often perceived as opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are both important for creating change in the world.”

According to Strehle, the talk was very informative, and helped shed some light on the current debate in the academy over the humanities as a field of study.

“I think people were really engaged with what [Rajagopalan] had to say,” Strehle said. “I really think it went wonderfully well. Rajagopalan is without any doubt the most eminent graduate of the doctoral program in English at Binghamton University, and we’re really proud to have him back on this occasion to give a talk.”

The event was hosted by The Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Historical Systems and Civilizations and co-sponsored by the department of English, General Literature and Rhetoric, and the department of Comparative Literature.