Which discipline should survive the end of the world?

Philosophical debate

10/24/2025

Five professors from across campus will advocate that their discipline is the most important to save for the future in the annual , sponsored by the undergraduate philosophy journal and club.

The debate, set for 5 p.m. Nov. 6 in Room G01 of Uris Hall, asks the professors to consider the following scenario:

There will be a cataclysmic near-extinction level event. Earth’s population will decline by 99.9%. All knowledge discovered in the past 10,000 years will be lost…

However, before the apocalypse, a few far-sighted radicals construct an apocalypse-proof box, with space for all the knowledge of only one subject.

Their conundrum: which subject should they put in the box?

“There’s drama and entertainment and the arguments are often very unexpected,” said Wyatt Sell ’27, co-president of Logos and an electrical engineering major. “In the miasma of prelims and classes, it’s a good reminder of why discussions like this are worthwhile.”

This year’s professors include:

, professor and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, mathematics, �鶹��Ƶ & �鶹��Ƶ
, lecturer in entomology, College of Agriculture and Life �鶹��Ƶ
, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies in philosophy (A&S)
, L. Sanford and Jo Mills Reis Professor of Humanities in comparative literature and German studies (A&S)
, director of forensics and senior lecturer, College of Industrial and Labor Relations, who will play the devil’s advocate, arguing that none of the subjects should persist

The winner is selected by audience members, who vote both before the arguments and after, to see if the arguments are convincing, Sell said. Last year’s winner was Emad Atiq, professor of law and philosophy at Cornell Law School.

The event features opening talks from each professor, rebuttals from all and then at least 30 minutes of audience questions and answers, Sell said.

An additional perk – the first 100 people receive a free sweatshirt.