Harvard Yard hosts Sentimental Education on 23 October

Harvard Yard hosts Sentimental Education: Adam Smith and the Value of Literature in Cambridge, United States, on 23 October 2026. The event places a Harvard History of Philosophy Workshop talk in Robbins Library at Emerson Hall 211.

Adam Smith lecture comes to Robbins Library on 23 October

The event runs from 3pm to 5pm on 23 October 2026, according to the Harvard Early Modern World calendar. It lists Robbins Library, Emerson Hall 211, Harvard Yard, as the venue and names Lauren Kopajtic of Fordham University as the speaker.

The title links the session to Adam Smith’s ideas about literature and moral understanding. A Harvard philosophy listing describes the talk as part of the History of Philosophy Workshop and identifies the subject as Smith’s discussion of how people learn difficult moral lessons.

The same listing notes that Smith added a reading recommendation to the final, 1790 edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments. It identifies Racine and Voltaire among the literary authors mentioned in that discussion. The programme therefore connects a specific Cambridge venue with a question about the role of literature in eighteenth-century moral philosophy.

The Harvard event listing records the date, time, venue, sponsor and speaker. A separate Harvard philosophy listing supplies the workshop context and the outline of the subject.

Harvard Yard gives the discussion a historic university setting

The venue is part of Harvard’s historic campus in Cambridge. Harvard describes the Yard as the setting for its historical public walking tour and for a self-guided mobile tour focused on the history behind campus buildings, traditions and alumni.

That setting gives the October programme a direct connection to the place rather than making it a city event with only a Harvard reference. The talk takes place inside the Yard, in a library identified by building and room, while its subject turns to a major work in the university’s philosophical tradition.

The Yard also functions as a point of orientation for visitors exploring Harvard University. The university’s visitor information identifies a Visitor Center and describes public tours through the Yard. It also directs visitors to a mobile app for self-guided exploration.

Harvard’s visitor information confirms the campus setting and the available walking and self-guided options. These details help place the Robbins Library event within the wider visit experience without adding a separate attraction to the programme.

Visiting Harvard Yard: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Sentimental Education: Adam Smith and the Value of Literature takes place on 23 October 2026 from 3pm to 5pm at Robbins Library, Emerson Hall 211, Harvard Yard.
• The event is a History of Philosophy Workshop session organised by the Harvard History of Philosophy Workshop, with Lauren Kopajtic of Fordham University as speaker.
• Harvard identifies public walking tours through Harvard Yard and a mobile app for self-guided exploration of the campus.
• Harvard Yard is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The venue named for the event is Robbins Library in Emerson Hall 211.

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Frequently asked questions about Harvard Yard

When does Sentimental Education take place at Harvard Yard?

The discussion takes place on 23 October 2026 from 3pm to 5pm at Robbins Library in Emerson Hall 211.

What is Sentimental Education about?

Lauren Kopajtic’s talk examines Adam Smith and the value of literature, including the literary reading recommendation in the 1790 edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

Where is Harvard Yard and how do you get there?

Harvard Yard is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. Harvard provides public walking tours and a mobile app for exploring the campus.