Upcoming talk of the APSE - lecture series
Jennifer Corns (University of Glasgow)
Title: Suffering
When/Where: 29.6., 3-5pm, HS 2H
If you are interested in joining us for dinner/drinks afterwards, write me email to sophie.juliane.veigl@univie.ac.at! everyone welcome!
Abstract:
Despite its ubiquity, philosophers have only recently begun to develop rigorous theories of suffering as a distinct phenomenon. This talk provides an overview of this burgeoning area and defends my preferred account of suffering as the significant disruption of agency. I first motivate the need for a theory of suffering as a phenomenon distinct from pain or (even very) unpleasant experience, before identifying further key desiderata. I argue that a theory of suffering as the significant disruption to agency satisfies these desiderata better than extant competitors. While one may object that this account entails that suffering is too ubiquitous and too variable in both moral and experiential character, I argue that these implications are rightly embraced. I close by considering fruitful avenues for further exploration including neglected forms of suffering, underutilised means of alleviating suffering, the value of suffering, and the potential suffering of artificial agents.