Presented by Robert Gruber, PhD
Associate Professor of Philosophy

Many philosophers have claimed that the life of a typical human is much better than the life of a typical nonhuman animal. This is often said to be a result of our long lifespans (so more opportunities to acquire good things), our greater intellectual and emotional capacities (so more opportunities to enjoy “higher” pleasures like falling in love, or reading a good book), our large and complex brains (so more pleasure-promoting dopamine receptors), or some combination of these or related factors.

But what about the house cat lounging contentedly in a warm patch of sunlight? Isn’t that cat’s life plausibly just as good as yours? Maybe even better than yours? This talk will explore two philosophical theories of well-being: hedonism and perfectionism. We will see that some plausible formulations of these theories deliver different verdicts about whether humans have it better than the other animals.

This event, part of the Colloquium Series of the Departments of Literature, Writing, and Journalism and Humanities and Social Sciences, is free and open to the Springfield College community.

For questions or more information, contact Wendy Franz at wfranz@springfield.edu or (413) 748-3646. If you have disability and require a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this event, contact Franz to discuss your accessibility needs.

A Wellness Passport Event