On Sunday 22 March, Professor Katrien Devolder (Governing Body Fellow, Values & Society) will join Dr Daniel Kodsi, Professor Carissa Véliz, and Professor Gary Francione for Oxford Literary Festival panel How Can Philosophers Tackle Pressing Social Issues?
The discussion will consider how philosophical analysis can be applied to a number of pressing issues that are important to the public. At a time when philosophy has become very specialised as an academic subject, the speakers will explore how the discipline can be used to better engage with questions of public concern.
Professor Devolder, Professor of Applied Ethics and Director of Public Philosophy at the Uehiro Oxford Institute, will draw on her recent work on the concept and ethics of laziness. She will examine how the idea is frequently invoked in academic, public and policy discussions on issues such as welfare, stigma, and an increasingly AI-driven world.
Philosophers contribute to public life by bringing clarity to complex and controversial debates. They distinguish different kinds of questions, separate emotional reactions from careful judgments, scrutinise arguments, and help identify what truly matters. How we frame issues shapes how we understand and respond to them, making this conceptual work essential.
The Oxford Literary Festival is one of the UK’s leading cultural events, bringing together authors, speakers and public figures for a wide-ranging programme of talks and discussions. The festival runs from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 March this year.
Tickets for How Can Philosophers Tackle Pressing Social Issues? are available from £10 via the festival’s ticketing portal.
