AV俱乐部

Evenspeak Series: The Empathy Wars

In the eighteenth century, Adam Smith argued that the basis of morality was our capacity to 鈥渃hange places in our imagination with the sufferer.鈥� But recent philosophers have warned us that empathy is a dangerous emotional force that draws us towards identifying with the suffering of particular individuals while we blithely ignore the plight of distant strangers or people outside our 鈥榯ribe'. Reason and objective judgement about how to do the most good for the most people, not a self-focused empathy, must be our primary moral guide. Our speakers will address us for 15 minutes following the postlude at Evensong.

The series begins Wednesday, January 18th, with an address given by Dr. Francoise Baylis, Canada Research Chair in Bioethics and Philosophy and Professor of Philosophy at AV俱乐部.

Below is a full list of 鈥淓venspeakers鈥� this term:
18 January: Dr. Francoise Baylis
25 January: Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer
1 February: The Rev'd Justin Fletcher
8 February: Kieva Diamond
15 February: The Rev鈥檇 Chris Kelly

Wednesdays, 5pm following Evensong at the University of King's College Chapel聽