GCSJ seminar series: Epiphanies: an ethics of experience

Speakers:

Sophie Grace Chappell, Professor of Philosophy for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The Open University.

Discussants:

Dr Alex Barber, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, and Dr Sean Cordell, Staff Tutor and Lecturer in Philosophy, for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The Open University. 

Abstract:

Epiphanies is a philosophical exploration of epiphanies, peak experiences, ‘wow moments’, or ecstasies, as they are sometimes called. What are epiphanies, and why do so many people so frequently experience them? Are they just transient phenomena in our brains, or are they the revelations of objective value that they very often seem to be? What do they tell us about the world, and about ourselves? How, if at all, do epiphanies fit in with our moral systems and our theories of how to live? And how do epiphanic experiences fit in with the rest of our lives? These are Sophie Grace Chappell's questions in this groundbreaking new study of an area of inquiry that has always been right under our noses, but remains surprisingly under-explored in contemporary philosophy. (Publisher's website).

The seminar series is organised by The Open University's Centre for Global Challenges and Social Justice (GCSJ). Established in October 2021, the Centre in the School of Social Sciences and Global Studies provides critical, interdisciplinary insight, and innovative, social justice driven solutions to challenges facing contemporary global societies. The Centre’s ambition is to understand the historical and structural underpinnings of contemporary societies; the systems of oppressions and inequalities they reproduce; and the resistances and struggles they generate.