The Biology, Philosophy and Politics of Caregiving

About this event:

Caring for the young and the old, the fragile and the ill, is central to human thriving, and played a fundamental role in human evolution. Yet care has been largely invisible in political economy and it doesn’t fit the prevailing philosophical, political and economic frameworks. Care typically emerges in the context of close personal relationships and it is not well suited to either utilitarian or Kantian accounts of morality, or to “social contract” accounts of cooperation. Markets and states both have difficulty providing and supporting care, and as a result care is overlooked and undervalued. During this lecture, Professor Alison Gopnik sketches alternative ways of thinking about the biology, morality and politics of care and alternative policies that could help support carers and those they care for.

Please note that this event is in-person only, and RSVPs are requested to attend. Walk-ins are welcome.

Bios:

Alison Gopnik is professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at UC Berkeley and member of the Berkeley AI Research Group. She is also the author of several critically acclaimed and best-selling popular books about the cognitive science of childhood, including most recently The Gardener and the Carpenter. She is a 2023-25 research affiliate at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford (CASBS), where she led the Social Science of Caregiving project. You can read more about that project and its recent publication here.

Juliana Bidadanure is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at New York University. She was an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University before that. Professor Bidadanure's work is the philosophy of social inequalities. She has recently published a book titled Justice Across Ages on the topic of inequalities between age groups. She also writes on Universal Basic Income and led the Stanford Basic Income Lab between 2017 and 2023.

Parking Information: Attendees have access to free parking in the Knight Management Center Garage (655 Knight Way, Stanford, CA 94305) without the need for a permit after 4 p.m. Alternative guest parking near the venue can be found at the Manzanita Field Garage (742 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305).

Directions to Venue: The event is located at Vidalakis Dining hall, near the Schwab Graduate Residence.

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Host or Publisher The McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society