Do we create our own characters? If not, how can we be responsible for the actions that flow from them? Internationally renowned philosopher Susan Wolf will present some of her world-leading research on these issues at the 17th Annual Seymour Riklin Memorial Lecture in Philosophy, to be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, on Wayne State University's main campus.

Wolf is the Edna J. Koury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work ranges widely over topics in moral philosophy and the philosophy of mind. She taught at Harvard University, the University of Maryland and The Johns Hopkins University before moving to the University of North Carolina in 2002. She is a member of the American Association of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and is past president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association. She is author of Freedom Within Reason and Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, and the co-editor, with Christopher Grau, of Understanding Love: Philosophy, Film, and Fiction.

"The annual Riklin lecture allows us to present a philosophically rigorous talk that's accessible to a broad audience on topics of general interest," said John Corvino, chair of Wayne State's philosophy department. "Professor Wolf is renowned for her ability to give fresh and engaging perspectives on familiar moral conundrums." 

The free event, which is open to the public, will take place in the Bernath Auditorium, located inside Wayne State's David Adamany Undergraduate Library. A reception will follow.