Parr Center Presents: Sophia Dandelet (Cambridge)

Sophia Dandelet, Cambridge University

April 3, 2024 | 5:30PM | Chapman 201

“The Moral Failures of Self-Deception”

In many cases, self-deception seems not just irrational but also immoral. What exactly is the moral failure involved in self-deception? Many thinkers have tried to answer this question with some variation on the following idea: Self-deception, particularly about moral matters, is a serious impediment to living an ethical life. On some accounts, this is because self-deception prevents us from recognizing the harmful effects that our actions might have on others. Other accounts highlight the ways in which self-deception makes it difficult for us to improve our moral characters. I think that these proposals are getting something right, but I also think that they don’t tell the full story. In this talk, I’ll try to add to our understanding of the moral dimensions of self-deception. On the view that I’ll put forward, the distinctive moral badness of self-deception stems in part from the facts that (a) self-deceivers are ignorant about their own reasons for acting, and (b) we have a limited right to know the reasons of our wrongdoers.

This event is free and open to the public, and will run for approximately 90 minutes. Light refreshments will be served after Q&A and discussion.