Dr. Boyle may have passed away earlier in 2015, but his legacy was carried on through a lecture series given by a former friend and colleague.
Starting on Aug. 25 and continuing every Tuesday night until Sept. 29, Hood College hosted the Robert Boyle Memorial Lectures in the late professor’s honor. The lecture series was the result of a collaboration between Dr. Ingrid Farreras, a professor of psychology at Hood, and Dr. Daniel Robinson, a member of Oxford University’s philosophy faculty since 1991.
In addition to his credentials from Oxford, Robinson has the title of Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, from Georgetown University, and has authored more than 40 books on psychology.
Robinson described Boyle as “a man of utter academic integrity.” He also said, “This is not someone who went into academic life for riches, status or power. He was loyal to Hood.”
The subjects of the lectures were inspired by discussions and debates that Boyle and Robinson got into over the years. Many topics were covered by the Memorial Lectures, from the influence of “luck” on human achievements, to the differences between science and scientism.
In the Sept. 22 lecture on “culture and justice,” Robinson noted that many of his discussions with Boyle would be followed up by phone calls on one or two of their points. He said that Boyle’s comments were “always thoughtful and original.”
Boyle and Robinson first met between 1996 and 1997 at the Beneficial-Hodson Library, where Robinson and his wife received library cards from Boyle. The two met again and became
close friends between 2004 and 2005, when Robinson contacted Boyle about giving courses at Hood.
Boyle worked with Robinson for much of the rest of his life, developing a close friendship in spite of their political differences.
“Bob was left-of-center, and I was right-of-center.” Robinson said. “Bob and I would draw lines, but they would be feet apart, not miles apart.”
Robinson said that he hopes audiences learns from the lectures that serious academic pursuits are relevant to the daily problems people face.
The final presentation, held on Sept. 29, was on the subject of “Life and its ‘Value.’” Initial plans for the series called for a total of 10 lectures, but the number was reduced due to scheduling conflicts with Oxford.
“He embodied the ideal college professor at a small liberal arts college dedicated to teaching undergraduates,” Robinson said.
Robinson continues to hold Boyle in high regard. He said that if he were to give Hood two million dollars to put up a building on psychology, it would be on the condition that it would be called Boyle Hall.
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