Professor Martha Nussbaum —one of the world’s most celebrated political philosophers —will visit the University of Utah on Feb. 22, 2019, for the 2019 Tanner-McMurrin Lecture.
Her lecture, “Anger, Fear and the Politics of Blame,” will examine the current political crisis and recommendations for how to mend divides in the country. She will investigate “the climate of simmering anger that disfigures most modern democracies, expressing itself in blaming and targeting of unpopular groups.”
The lecture, co-sponsored by the S.J. Quinney College of Law and Westminster College, will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Moot Courtroom on the sixth floor of the College of Law, 383 South University Street. The event is free and open to the public.
A reception and book signing will follow the lecture. Nussbaum’s latest book, “The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis,” examines what Americans fear in the midst of a tumultuous political climate.
Nussbaum, a law professor at the University of Chicago, is the author of more than 20 books in philosophy, law, education, gender studies and other related areas, and her works are among the most important and influential publications in her fields.
The event will bring a unique conversation to Utah at a time when society finds itself fractured, said Deen Chatterjee, one of the event organizers and a fellow at the College of Law.
“Professor Nussbaum is a leading public intellectual of our time. Her scholarship is global in dimension and rich in normative, practical and policy implications of such vital concerns as democracy, human rights, poverty, violence, gender and human development,” said Chatterjee. “It is exciting to have such a celebrated scholar here with us delivering this year’s Tanner-McMurrin lecture.”
“Nussbaum is well-known for her multidimensional contribution to the important debates of our time. She will speak here on the emotional dimension of politics in the current political crisis and provide recommendations for how to mend our divided country. Nussbaum’s talk will be an educational opportunity for U students,” Chatterjee continued. “They will see how her ideas on quality of life issues contribute to the discourse on multiculturalism. For Nussbaum, turning tolerance of difference into celebration of diversity is the key to an expansive and flourishing life.”