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Brandon Warmke: "Moral Grandstanding: Why Status-Seeking Destroys Public Discourse and What We Can Do About It"

Brandon Warmke

This event took place on January 24 , 2023. 

About the Lecture

Why is so much public discourse unproductive and mean-spirited? One reason is that people grandstand: we use discussions about morality and politics for self-promotion. By understanding what grandstanding is, why we do it, and how it harms public discourse, we can see how to build a healthier public square.

About the Speaker

Brandon Warmke is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. He has written widely on forgiveness, moral responsibility, public discourse, and politics. With Justin Tosi, he is the author of Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk (Oxford, 2020). He also co-edited Forgiveness and Its Moral Dimensions (with Dana Nelkin and Michael McKenna, Oxford, 2021). He is currently writing two books: Why It’s OK to Mind Your Own Business (with Justin Tosi); and Conservatism: The Basics. He has written for CNN and MarketWatch, and his work has been featured by The Atlantic, New York Times Magazine, HuffPost, Scientific American, Forbes, Vox, Commentary Magazine, and The Guardian. He received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Arizona.

Parking Information

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Public Safety

Please note that masks are optional at ²ÊÃñ±¦µä.