Words left unspoken—their significance, impact, power and limitations—will be the topic of an upcoming presentation by three members of the Beloit College faculty. Tom McBride, a professor of English and the William and Gayle Keefer Professor of the Humanities, will lead the fall 2008 Keefer and Keefer lecture, titled “Unspeakable,” on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m., in Richardson Auditorium, in Morse-Ingersoll Hall. Like most events at Beloit College, the lecture is free and open to the public.

McBride will focus his comments on the phenomenon of what cannot be said by looking at the views of two leading thinkers on the subject—pioneering psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. “Freud believed that much could not be said because those things posed too much danger to the psyche of individuals,” McBride says. On the other hand, Wittgenstein posited that “…much could not be said because certain sorts of subjects are beyond the limits of language itself.” McBride will explore these parallel ideas and also examine what Freud might have thought of Wittgenstein and vice versa. “Freud did say a few things on the historical record about Wittgenstein,” he explains. “On the latter, the record is silent or non-existent.”

Joining McBride will be Gregory Buchanan, an associate professor of psychology, and Philip Shields, a professor of philosophy and religious studies. Buchanan will discuss the treatment of language in terms of what should not be said in therapeutic work if the treatment is to be effective. Shields, who has authored a book on Wittgenstein, will approach the subject of unspoken words by examining the link between silence and confession. Both faculty members will complement the subject matter of McBride’s comments.

The Keefer and Keefer lecture is coordinated and presented twice yearly by McBride, who has served as the William and Gayle Keefer Professor of the Humanities at Beloit College since 1991. The subjects of the lectures vary greatly.

For more information, contact McBride at 608-363-2307 or mcbridet@beloit.edu. Information about events at Beloit College can be found online at www.beloit.edu. .