2018 Uehiro Lecture Two: Addiction, Desire, And The Polluted Environment
Much recent work on addiction has stressed the importance of cues for the triggering of desire. These cues are frequently social. We have a plausible theory of this triggering at the neurophysiological level. But what are the ethical implications? One concerns the authority of desire: maximizing the satisfaction of desires no longer looks like a obvious goal of social policy once we understand the dependence of desires on cues. A second concerns an addict’s responsibility in the face of cues. I suggest that the provision of cues can be thought of as akin to pollution, for which the polluter may bear the primary responsibility. I spell out some of the political implications and ask whether there are good grounds for extending the argument to the cues involved in obesity.
Date:
22 May 2018, 17:00
Venue:
Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street OX1 3BD
Venue Details:
Lecture Theatre
Speaker:
Prof Richard Holton (University of Cambridge)
Organiser:
Professor Julian Savulescu (Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics)
Organiser contact email address:
rachel.gaminiratne@philosophy.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Professor Julian Savulescu (Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics)
Part of:
Annual Uehiro Lectures
Topics:
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://bookwhen.com/uehiro
Cost:
Free
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Rachel Gaminiratne
