Katrien Devolder, Daniel Kodsi and Carissa Veliz chaired by Gary Francione

Philosophers Professor Katrien Devolder, Dr Daniel Kodsi, Professor Carissa Véliz and Professor Gary Francione discuss how philosophical analysis can be used to tackle complicated social issues that are important to the public, ranging from laziness and welfare support to trust in experts, privacy and the moral value of animals.

Philosophy has become a very specialised academic subject. Many philosophers do not have the tools to analyse social issues and do not focus in their scholarship on areas of importance to the general public.

Devolder is professor of applied ethics at the University of Oxford, director of public philosophy at the Uehiro Oxford Institute and author of books on the embryonic stem cell debate and on the ethics of human cloning. She will talk about the concept and ethics of laziness, which is frequently invoked in academic, public and policy discussions on topics such as welfare support, stigma, and an AI-driven world.

Kodsi is editor-in-chief of The Philosophers’ Magazine, a leading general-audience magazine in philosophy, and a visiting scholar at New York University. He has written for outlets including The Times, Tablet Magazine, The Critic and Quillette. Kodsi will talk about the nature of trust in experts and why error on easily-known questions undermines the credibility of intellectuals and experts.

Véliz is an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI. She is the recipient of the 2021 Herbert A. Simon Award for Outstanding Research in Computing and Philosophy, author of Prophecy and Privacy Is Power and editor of the Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics. Véliz will talk about the concept of privacy.

Discussions will be chaired by Francione, professor emeritus at Rutgers University School of Law, tutor in philosophy in the Oxford Continuing Education Program, and honorary professor of philosophy at the universities of Lincoln and East Anglia. He has specialised in matters of animal ethics and law. His latest book is Why Veganism Matters: The Moral Value of Animals.