THE COMMITTEE ON INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE STUDIES PRESENTS

LORI GRUEN

Entangled Empathy

November 16^th, 2:00-4:00

**Please note the special time slot**

Room 5307 | The CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Part of the Multispecies Salon Wednesday Speaker Series

Free and open to the public.
This event will orbit around the discussion of a working paper.
For a copy of the paper please contact ekirksey (at) gc.cuny.edu

Ethical arguments for considering the claims of the more-than-human world have tended to parallel arguments that extend ethical consideration outward from those who occupy the moral center.  Expanding the circle is one way scholars and activists have tried to combat what is alternatively termed “speciesism,” “humanormativity,” or “human exceptionalism” – terms that have been used to identify a perceived ethical problem with human attitudes toward and treatment of other animals. Though there are advantages to this argumentative strategy,  this talk suggests an alternative in which we come to see ourselves, not just as individual animal beings, but also as inextricably entangled with other animals.

Lori Gruen is a Professor of Philosophy, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University.  Prof. Gruen also co-coordinates Wesleyan Animal Studies and Directs the Ethics in Society Project. Prof. Gruen’s work lies at the intersection of ethical theory and ethical practice, with a particular focus on ethical issues that impact those often overlooked in traditional ethical investigations, e.g. women, people of color, non-human animals. Prof. Gruen is the author of the recently published Ethics and Animals:  An Introduction.