Kate Manne to Present 13th Annual Lindner Lecture in Ethics

WOOSTER, Ohio – Kate Manne, assistant professor of philosophy at Cornell University, will present “On Himpathy and Misogyny” at the 13^th Lindner Lecture in Ethics on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at The College of Wooster. The free public lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall (303 E. University St.). A dessert reception will precede the lecture.

The following day, Thursday, Sept. 13, a panel of Manne, Vanessa Wills, assistant professor of philosophy at George Washington University, and Lori Watson, professor of philosophy and chair of the department at the University of San Diego, will convene at 11 a.m., in room 105 of Scovel Hall (944 College Mall) for an “author meets critics” session.

Manne specializes in moral philosophy (especially metaethics and moral psychology), feminist philosophy, and social philosophy. She also writes opinion pieces, essays, and reviews that have been published in various media outlets. The Australia native received her bachelor of arts degree from The University of Melbourne and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Manne recently published a book, “Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny,” about the nature, function, and persistence of misogyny. It was named one of the “Dozen Most Memorable Books of 2017, Book Party” by The Washington Post and she was interviewed on several local and national television and radio shows including CBS News in New York. In addition, it is being used as a text in several ethics and feminist philosophy courses.

She is currently working on her next book, which will pick up where “Down Girl” left off entitled “Himpathy.” In it, she will theorize a much fuller range of the exonerating, forgiving, forgetting, rewarding, and other positive attitudes extended to privileged boys and men, as compared to their female victims or moral counterparts.

Wills’s research focuses on moral, social, and political philosophy, 19th century German philosophy, and the philosophy of race. Her research is focused on the study of Karl Marx’s work, and on the ways in which economic and social arrangements can inhibit or promote the realization of values such as freedom, equality, and human development. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Watson’s areas of expertise include ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of law, and feminism. Her most recent publications include “Debating Pornography” written with Andrew Altman, “Debating Sex Work” written with Jessica Flannigan, and “Equal Citizenship and Public Reason: A Feminist Political Liberalism” co-authored with Christie Hartley. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The Lindner Lecture in Ethics is supported by The Lindner Endowment, which was established in 2007 through a generous gift from Carl H. Lindner to support the department of philosophy in the teaching of ethics. Additional information about the lecture is available by phone (330-263-2380) or email.

Posted in Event on September 18, 2018.