MAP is excited to host Manon Garcia (Yale) for a Zoom talk next Tuesday (4/5) 12:30-2:30p.

Title: Submission

Abstract: "When analyzing unequal power relations, philosophers tend to use mostly the concepts of “domination” and “oppression”. The concept of “submission” is rarely if ever used and when it is, it is traditionally ben understood as autonomy abdication and therefore has been seen by moral and political philosophy as morally impermissible. Contrary to that view, this paper argues that submission is not simply autonomy abdication and that the concept of submission is a useful and illuminating addition to the conceptual vocabulary of power analysis. The conceptual analysis of submission proceeds in the following way: after I advocate for a broad, non-moralized understanding of the concept of submission; second, I develop a conceptual inquiry leading to a definition of the concept of submission, notably showing that submission is not the correlative of domination; and finally I demonstrate that the concept of submission enhances our understanding of power, and, in particular, opens a path to a deeper understanding of the social structure of patriarchy.”

Manon is an assistant professor of philosophy at Yale University. Her primary research is in political philosophy, feminist philosophy, moral philosophy, and philosophy of economics. Her two books are We Are Not Born Submissive: How Patriarchy Shapes Women's Lives and La Conversation des sexes: Philosophie du consentement (The Conversation of the Sexes: Philosophy of Consent). She also works on questions in 20th Century French philosophy, critical theory, philosophy of social sciences, and phenomenology.

Zoom link: https://umich.zoom.us/s/96450539977