Philosophy Department Announces Lecture Series

The Philosophy Department of UM-Flint has announced the first event in its Visiting Lecture Series.

On Thursday, October 16th, Dr. Hilde Lindemann, member of the Philosophy Department at Michigan State University, will present her lecture “Struggling to Catch Up: Families, Identities, and Narrative Care.”

Families perform many morally valuable functions for their own members, not the least of which is providing care when they are ill or injured. I argue that a second family function–that of sustaining their members’ personal identities–is deeply implicated in that care. After explaining the narrative nature of identity maintenance, I discuss three cases where family caregivers must find the right stories to repair the identity of one of their own: where the identity has been repudiated, where the identity lies at the limits of responsibility, and where the patient has lost her second nature. As I examine these cases, I argue that if health care professionals recognize and respect this familial caring labor, they can do a better job of providing the patient with their own form of care.

Her lecture will be held from 5:30-7:30pm in 302 Murchie Science Building.

The second lecture in the series will feature Dr. David Shoemaker. He will be presenting “Psychopathic Responsibility: From Anger to Disdain” on November 20th.

To learn more about the Philosophy Department and their Visiting Lecture Series, visit the department website or email the department chair, Stevens Wandmacher at [email protected].