Oct 24
Talk with Prof. Richard Kim (Loyola Chicago): Disability, Flourishing, and Mencian Perfectionism
Many people are attracted to the idea -- found in Aristotle -- that a living thing's well-being is a function of whether it flourishes as the kind of thing it is (e.g. as an eagle or a salmon or a human). But specifically Aristotelian accounts of human flourishing seem to problematically exclude those with cognitive disabilities from properly flourishing. In this talk. Prof. Richard Kim argues that the conception of human flourishing we get from the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius -- which focuses on the value of rituals, roles, family, and benevolence -- can allow for the flourishing of the cognitively disabled in a way that fits the contemporary empirical data which shows that those with disabilities can lead very good lives.
Funded by the John Tymoczko Endowed Fund for Science & Society.
from Philosophy