UVA philosophy major alum Meghan Sullivan (Notre Dame), "Samaritan Arguments"
October 14, 2022
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Gibson Room, Cocke Hall
We have the capacity to be moved by love to care for complete strangers. Acts of Samaritanism also sometimes cause significant moral controversy, as we see, for example, in current controversies over aid to migrants at the southern US border. In this talk, we'll consider some real world cases of individuals justifying a morally controversial Samaritan decision by appeal to reasons of love. I'll unpack the structure of a Samaritan argument, offer defenses of the two key premises, and sketch an account of supererogation based on the resulting theory of the moral significance of love of strangers.