Events

Ethics Institute Speaker, Jason D’Cruz

Time: 3pm – 4:30pm

Location:Renaissance Park 4th floor common room

Title: Courage to Trust

Abstract: In his 1947 Delhi Diary Gandhi advocated for a comprehensive rejection of distrust: “we should trust even those whom we suspect as our enemies. Brave people disdain distrust.” Gandhi’s position in this passage is extreme, and one may even detect a whiff of bravado. What Gandhi calls “bravery” we may see as recklessness, especially when the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable parties is at stake. But I think that Gandhi’s view also contains deep insight that deserves elaboration and refinement. Gandhi challenges us to think about the norms of trust as extending beyond the pursuit of self-interest or individual agency. Realizing the moral ends of trust (empowerment, community, solidarity, intimacy, respect) requires managing and overcoming the fear that trust naturally occasions. What role does courage play in trusting well? And is withdrawing trust out of fear symptomatic of morally criticizable cowardice?

About the Speaker: Jason D’Cruz is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of University at Albany’s new College of AI & Society.