‘Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society’: Kellogg Center to host MacArthur Fellow at annual lecture
A well-known scholar in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) will discuss ways to inspire a more just world when she speaks at Virginia Tech on April 3.
Elizabeth Anderson will deliver the 2024 PPE Distinguished Public Lecture from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre of the Moss Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics has hosted the PPE Distinguished Public Lecture since 2017. The annual lecture is presented by an internationally known scholar whose research carries significant social relevance and seeks to create conversations among faculty, students, and the public.
Anderson’s work connects philosophy, political science, and economics as well as other fields in the humanities and social sciences, such as history and sociology. Her lecture “Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society” will address the global rise of authoritarian movements that threaten democratic norms and the rule of law.
Building on philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s work, Anderson will argue that esteem competition, or the desire to be highly regarded in society, is a fundamental driver of social inequality. While dominant groups may manipulate the rules of this kind of competition by spreading deceptions, she will discuss how alternative democratic narratives can inspire hope for a better, more just world.
Anderson was the first director of the philosophy, politics, and economics program at the University of Michigan. Currently, she is the Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy, the John Dewey Distinguished University Professor, and the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the university.
In 2019, Anderson received a MacArthur Fellowship, an honor that encourages recipients to pursue their own creative, professional, and intellectual goals.
“I am excited to have Professor Anderson on campus not only because of her important work, but also because of her impact in the field of PPE,” said Michael Moehler, the founding director of the Kellogg Center.
Among her many accolades, Anderson has been named a Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of the British Academy. She was named the Progress Medal Laureate by the Society for Progress for her book “Private Government” in 2018, and she was named one of the world’s top 50 thinkers by Prospect Magazine in 2020.
She also is author of numerous other books and articles.
“Among her many publications, Professor Anderson’s early work on equality and her book on the imperative of integration have been especially influential in her discipline and beyond,” Moehler said.
In addition to its social importance, Moehler considers Anderson’s work to be innovative methodologically.
“Professor Anderson employs pragmatist methods to examine, based on empirical evidence and careful social scientific analysis, ways in which institutions, policies, and social practices can promote conditions of democratic equality,” he said.
Combining theory and practice, as well as empirical and normative analysis, is a hallmark of philosophy, politics, and economics analysis, Moehler said, and another reason he is excited for Anderson to visit Virginia Tech.
The Kellogg Center is a partnership between the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and the College of Science. Past lecture series speakers have included Kyoto Prize recipient Martha C. Nussbaum, Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, New York Times bestselling author Dan Ariely, award-winning British historian Adam Tooze, Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo, and cultural theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah.
The lecture will be followed by a public reception. Learn more about the event.
