2024 Simone Weil Lecture – Empathy and Interpersonal Relations

The Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value is hosted by the ACU School of Philosophy. First held in 2000 as an initiative of Professor Raimond Gaita, it is a free public lecture held annually in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Each year, a distinguished international scholar is invited to give a public lecture and academic seminar at ACU. The lectures are inspired by Simone Weil’s ethical vision that is rooted in attentive compassion and obligation to others, her unstinting desire for the Good, and her non-negotiable commitment to justice.

About the speaker

Professor Dermot Moran is the inaugural holder of the Joseph Chair in Catholic Philosophy at Boston College. Professor Moran is the author of nine monographs (including translations into Spanish and Chinese), one co-authored book (also translated into Chinese), 15 edited books, 50 peer-refereed journal articles, more than 120 book chapters and encyclopedia entries. He is founding editor of The International Journal of Philosophical Studies (1993) and was co-editor (2007 – 2017) of the book series Contributions to Phenomenology (Springer). He was awarded the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in the Humanities in 2012, and an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the National and Kapodistrian University in Athens in 2015. He is Honorary Professor at Wuhan University, Nankai University, and Sun Yat Sen University, Guangzhou.

About the lecture

Many psychologists claim that the capacity to empathise with others is a necessary capacity for a healthy emotional and ethical life. But what exactly is empathy? In this lecture, professor Moran will explain the approach to empathy of German-Jewish philosopher and Carmelite Edith Stein and how it involves the recognition of persons as persons and compare Stein’s approach to Simone Weil’s understanding of persons and their value.

Catering and refreshments will be served from 5.30pm.
(Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dietary requirements considered.)