Colloquium: Nellie Wieland (Cal State, Long Beach)
Department: Philosophy
Date and Time: October 17, 2014 | 3:00 PM-5:00 PMEvent Location: 55 HIB
Event Details
“Agent and Object”
In this talk I consider different ways in which objectification constitutes a moral harm. I give extended consideration to the view that objectification harms by making it the case that its victims assume the qualities projected onto them--namely, the qualities of objects. I then consider implications of this view: as these victims assume the qualities of objects they lose the qualities of persons, including, perhaps, robust agency, authentic identification with values around which to orient their lives, and the ability to take 'responsibility for self'. I conclude that any change that befalls this kind of victim as moral agent is accompanied by a change to their status as moral patient; these moral harms have corresponding moral obligations to recovery and repair for the objectified agent.
Professor Nellie Wieland
Cal State University, Long Beach