Date/Time
Date(s) - Tue 6 May
17:30 - 19:00
2025 De Carle Distinguished Lecture series
Presented by Associate Professor Benjamin McKean (PhD, MA Princeton, BA Harvard)
Abstract: What does it mean to talk about humanity’s relationship with nature when we are ourselves natural creatures? What does our status as natural creatures mean for solidarity? How widely do the demands of solidarity extend? What would it mean to be in solidarity with non-human nature if we cannot expect conscious reciprocity? And is it reasonable to expect solidarity with non-human nature when we cannot even muster solidarity among humans? I will argue that we need to reorient our way of seeing nature in order to address the climate crisis and if we do so, the demands of solidarity with each other and with nonhuman nature will be easier to meet.
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About Associate Professor Benjamin McKean
Ben is a political theorist whose research concerns global justice, climate change, populism and the relationship between theory and practice.
Currently at The Ohio State University and formerly a Harper-Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago, Ben is researching the inadequacy of existing political concepts for addressing climate change. His book, Disorienting Neoliberalism: Global Justice and the Outer Limit of Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2020) argues that people subject to unjust institutions and practices should be disposed to solidarity with others who are also subject to them – even when those relations cross state borders.