The Carolyn Benton Cockefair Chair continues to play an influential role in the cultural and intellectual life at UMKC and in the Kansas City community.

The Cockefair Chair continues its 60-year tradition of presenting fascinating lectures. Lectures are announced as soon as arrangements are final. Please check this website and subscribe to our contact list so that you are sure to receive the most current lecture information.

Event: Our Annual Luncheon: Celebrating the inspiration of Carolyn Benton

Can AI Teach the Classics?

Join author and UMKC Professor, Clancy Martin as he discusses his latest project, Rebind, an _consciousness.

About the Lecture:

Clancy Martin is the author of more than ten books and novels, including How Not to Kill Yourself and The Philosophy of Deception. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other fellowships and awards.

Known for his work on mental health and moral philosophy, Martin’s work aims to help “re-bind” individuals to meaning, connection and well-being. In this talk, Martin will delve into the origins of Rebind, how it may be applied and explore the broader philosophical questions it raises about the role of artificial intelligence in supporting human learning.

RSVP by Friday August 1^st

To order tickets, you may call Kimberly Rudolph at 816-235-1563, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Please have your Mastercard, Visa, Discover or American Express card in hand.

Or you may purchase tickets below.

Past Lectures

In the past few years, our audiences have heard famous historians, experts on climate change and foreign policy, renowned authors, educators and others who examine contemporary life. More outstanding lectures are coming from the Cockefair Chair.

Recent lecturers include authors Adam Gopnik, Andrew Kaplan, Ben Lerner and Meg Wolitzer, experts on climate change Diana Liverman and Bill McKibben, artist Carrie Mae Weems, former Ambassador Michael McFaul, educators Sarah Lewis and Sarah Marty, historian Andrew Bacevich, former Press Secretary to the President Josh Earnest, founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson