18th Mar
EVENT

GUEST SPEAKER: Daniel Vazquez (MIC)

(Kemmy Business School (KBG-15))

"Guest speaker: Daniel Vazquez joins us from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, to discuss the ethics of arguing both perspectives of a topic. With many thanks to Dr. Vazquez, UL's Philosophy and Debate Society is glad to announce its first guest speaker event! With focus, as previously mentioned in this post, on the ethics of a given topic's varied perspectives, Daniel Vazquez has provided the following abstract to his discussion:Allowing space to argue for both sides of a difficult question or case often benefits our understanding, belief formation, risk assessment, and decision-making. But is it always morally appropriate to discuss both sides of an issue? Should we always allow equal time to advocate for both sides? Examples like pseudoscientific theories, political filibusters, and vested interests that manufacture doubt suggest not. But where and under what minimal moral principles should we draw the line? Philosophers and scientists have disagreed about the appropriateness and limits of arguing both sides since ancient times. Two ideals seem to clash. On the one hand, discovery and the search for truth require the freedom to assess all possible arguments to maximize the chances of success. On the other hand, sometimes pondering both sides strikes us as morally intolerable, a waste of time or falling into rhetorical traps that harm rather than benefit an investigation.He has provided a brief autobiography as well, seen below. Dr Daniel Vázquez is an Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Philosophy, and co-director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary and Engaged Philosophy at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. He is also a member of the Trinity Plato Centre and the philosophy reviewer for the journal Greece & Rome.Dr Vázquez has published in various areas of ancient philosophy, especially on Plato, the Stoics, and the scepticism of Sextus Empiricus. His recent and forthcoming publications include Suspension of Belief (Cambridge UP 2024) and Escepticismo, metafísica y argumentación (NUN, Mexico City 2024), as well as three co-edited volumes: Cause and Explanation in Ancient Philosophy (Routledge 2024), Plato on Time and the World (Palgrave McMillan 2023), and Time and Cosmology in Plato and the Platonic Tradition (Brill 2022).In addition to his work on the history of philosophy, Dr Vázquez has taught ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology around the world (including Oxford, London, Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Mexico City) and is co-founder and volunteer for the Centre of Human Rights Studies, based in Mexico City. The not-for-profit think-tank works on combatting all forms of violence, oppression and discrimination, advancing social justice, and strengthening the respect for human rights, equity and diversity.Refreshments will be provided. "

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