Social Media and the Vice of Acedia: Public Lecture by Dr. Kevin Gary

Join Valor faculty and families for our the Valor Institute’s first public lecture of the 2026–2027 school year, featuring Dr. Kevin Gary of Hillsdale College, who will speak on “Social Media and the Vice of Acedia” at Valor South Austin's Library.

What exactly is acedia? How does social media intensify this obscure yet deadly vice? Dr. Gary will explore how modern media technology creates an artificial culture of apathy and cast its users adrift. Through awareness of these tendencies, we can turn our attention to those activities and relationships that inspire and encourage us toward greater communion and love.

All Valor Institute public lectures are ticketed events. You can reserve a free ticket at the link below.

About the Speaker

Dr. Kevin Gary is an associate professor in the Education Department at Hillsdale College. He taught theology at Loyola Academy High School in Wilmette, Illinois, for ten years; education and philosophy at Goshen College for eight years; and education, theology, and the humanities at Valparaiso University for ten years. While at Goshen, Kevin and his wife Heather directed Goshen College’s international studies program in Lima, Peru, for three semesters.

Dr. Gary’s research is primarily in philosophy of education. He recently published Why Boredom Matters: Education, Leisure, and the Quest for a Meaningful Life with Cambridge University Press in 2022. Drawing on multiple disciplines, Dr. Gary makes a case for teachers guiding students to engage with boredom constructively, steering clear of restless boredom avoidance on the one hand, or passive submission to boredom on the other.

Dr. Gary has published in multiple journals, including Educational Theory, Journal of Philosophy of Education, and Studies in Philosophy and Education.