Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society | Online

Lecture | 

Admission is free; prior registration is required>

The Jerusalem Circle hosts Prof. Elizabeth Anderson, in collaboration with Shaharit, Tikkun, and Tel Hai. The lecture will take place online at 19:00 Israel time.

Lecture Abstract

What could genuinely motivate us to support a just and egalitarian social order?

This lecture will explore how various ideologies persuade even marginalized groups to accept their subordinate status, often by positioning other groups as even lower. It will examine how ideologies appeal to people's fantasies of their group's moral or cultural superiority, and how competition for recognition and prestige can evolve into rivalry between entire social groups. Drawing on the thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued that the desire for social esteem is a root cause of inequality, the lecture will analyze the psychological and social mechanisms that sustain hierarchies and identities and consider the possibility of breaking these cycles of oppression.   

Speakers

Chair: Dr. Eli Pitcovski

Opening Remarks: Prof. Nissim Mizrachi

Elizabeth Anderson is one of the leading contemporary thinkers in political and social philosophy. She is a professor at the University of Michigan, where she holds the John Dewey Distinguished University Professorship of Philosophy and Women’s Studies. A recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, Anderson is known for her work on equality, democracy, ethics, and feminism. Anderson is particularly known for her contribution to understanding equality not merely as a social condition but as a fundamental moral value. In her book Value in Ethics and Economics, she developed an ethical framework based on value rather than utility. In Private Government, she offered an original analysis of power relations in the modern labor market, likening workplaces to private dictatorships. Her philosophical depth and insights from economics, sociology, and history have significantly influenced contemporary discourse on inequality and social justice.      

About the Jerusalem Circle

The Jerusalem Circle is an initiative led by prominent philosophy and social science scholars. It seeks to establish an academic and public forum for addressing the tensions between liberal-Western values and heritage-based Jewish and other value systems. The initiative arises from recognizing that many dominant academic paradigms in Western universities are ill-suited to analyzing the distinctive local realities of various world regions and fall short of fostering peace, mutual respect, and sustainable solutions. The Circle aims to create a “Jerusalem-based” intellectual and social think tank that will engage leading researchers in developing new academic paradigms and deeper responses to contemporary crises.
Its activities include conferences, a research group, and the development of an interdisciplinary journal, designed both as a peer-reviewed platform and an accessible forum for the public. The journal will publish in Hebrew and English to broaden the reach and impact of relevant academic debates.