[Seoul National University Center for Legal Theory, Law Research Institute, 57th Colloquium]
"Sociology of Moral Sentiments: Mapping the Age of Hatred and Anti-Intellectualism"
*Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 7:00 PM ~ 9:00 PM
*Presenter: Wangbae Kim | Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology, Yonsei University
*Abstract:
What does it mean to live joyfully, rightly, and meaningfully? We constantly question the meaning and value of life, making countless judgments both big and small. Today, these questions are inseparably tied to the symptoms of anxiety of our age. The advent of artificial intelligence, global warming and climate crises, the regression of democracy, and the intensification of inequality have heightened existential unease, demanding more incisive thought, judgment, reflection, and action than ever before. However, instead of fostering coexistence in response to these complex crises, our society is increasingly filled with competition for individual survival and the demonization and exclusion of others through emotions of hatred. The politics of hatred spreads an inability to think critically and drives societal regression by fueling anti-intellectualism.
What can we do? As one possible indicator for addressing these challenges, I propose revisiting the concept of moral sentiments. Moral sentiments serve as emotions that guide “judgments of judgments” and encompass a range of subordinate emotions. These include empathy, imagination, conscience, a sense of responsibility, justice, tolerance, trust, and solidarity. Additionally, moral sentiments involve a sharp sense of justice that exposes and seeks to correct what is wrong. Yet, they also explore the “difficult, profoundly difficult possibility of forgiveness,” striving to avoid the cycle of vengeance.
-This academic event will be conducted online via Zoom.
-Zoom access information will be sent individually to registered participants one day before the event.
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[Contact Information]
Seoul National University Center for Legal Theory, Law Research Institute/ legaltheory@naver.com /02-880-8684