Lecture Brochure 2014

UNI Philosophy Alum and Lecturer in Philosophy at Vanderbilt Univeristy

Sponsored by UNI Philosophy Club, NISG, and Class of 1957 Heritage Endowment Fund

Alison Suen

Alison Suen is a lecturer in the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University. She received her BA in Philosophy from the University of Northern Iowa in 2006, and her PhD in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University in 2012. Her research interests include animal ethics, feminist philosophy, and continental philosophy. She wrote her dissertation on the linguistic divide between humans and animals. In 20112012, she was the Ethel Mae Wilson Fellow at the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University, where she was a participant in a dissertation fellowship. She is currently working on a book project on the ethics of consumption.

THE TABLE AND THE BEDROOM: THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN ANIMAL ETHICS AND FEMINISM Peter Singer’s 1975 seminal work, “Animal Liberation,” launched a vast philosophical discussion on animal ethics in 20th century. Using a utilitarian moral framework, Singer argues that non-human animals, insofar as they are capable of suffering, should be included in the moral community. Following Singer, early works in the literature tend to focus on questions of moral status and entitlement: Do animals have rights? What do we owe animals? However, with the rise of feminist scholarship in late ‘80s and early ‘90s, we begin to hear the distinctive voice of feminism in the animal ethics literature.

So, what kinds of unique contributions have feminists made in the field of animal ethics? Can feminist ethics help us reimagine our relationships with, and obligations to, animals? More importantly, why should feminists care about animals at all? Do feminists have special obligations to animals?

In this presentation, I will articulate two distinct feminist interventions to the field of animal ethics: (1) their efforts to enrich the field’s moral vocabulary, and (2) the parallels between the exploitation of animals and the exploitation of women. With regard to (1), feminist care ethics has been particularly helpful in redirecting the conversation. Instead of speaking in the language of “interests” or “rights” exclusively, feminists in the care ethics tradition seek to reconfigure our relationship with animals through relational terms, such as “empathy” and “love.” We will examine the merits as well as the limits of such moral vocabulary. With regards to (2), feminists such as Carol Adams and Marti Kheel have argued for a connection between meat eating and masculinity. We will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these arguments by examining some popular images and discourses on meat eating.

SPRING 2014 LECTURE SERIES

TRUTH VS. TRADITION: THE BOOK OF JOB AS PROTEST LITERATURE Dr. John Burnight, UNI Professor of Religion February 7, 2014

HANNAH ARENDT: FILM PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION Dr. Bill Clohesy, UNI Professor of Philosophy March 7, 2014

THE TABLE AND THE BEDROOM: THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN ANIMAL ETHICS AND FEMINISM Dr. Alison Suen,Vanderbilt University Lecturer April 17, 2014

DOES BUSINESS HAVE A DUTY TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT? Dr. Craig VanSandt, UNI Wilson Chair in Business Ethics April 25, 2014

department of Philosophy & World Religions