Chautauqua Lecture Videos

Title

Heroes, Mavericks, and Psychopaths: The Virtue and Vice of Defiance [Video]

Document Type

Video

Publication Date

9-1-2016

Abstract

Nancy Nyquist Potter, professor of philosophy at University of Louisvile, has published extensively in feminist ethics and political philosophy as well as the interdisciplinary field of philosophy and psychiatry, with dozens of book chapters, scores of scholarly articles and numerous reviews to her credit. Her current research is on the connections between theories of knowledge and ethics, with special attention to nosological and diagnostic issues, and on the relationship between voice, silence, and uptake, in particular for patients living with mental illness. Her newest book, The Virtue of Defiance and Psychiatric Engagement, has just been published in the summer of 2016 with Oxford University Press. The Virtue of Defiance presents a “unique and original treatment” of defiance, combining theory and case studies, and it offers a “nuanced and complex look at defiance, taking seriously issues of dysfunction while also attending to social contexts in which defiant behavior may arise. Those living in adverse conditions such as oppression, systematic disadvantages, and disability may act defiantly for good reasons. This perspective places defiance squarely within the moral domain; thus, it should not be assumed that when professionals come across defiant behavior, it is a sign of mental dysfunction. Potter argues that defiance sometimes is a virtue, meaning that a disposition to be ready to be defiant when the situation calls for it is part of living a life with a realistic understanding of the aim of flourishing and its limits in our everyday world.” (OUP Website.)

Part of the Chautauqua Lecture Series: Order and Chaos (2016-2017)

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Copyright

Copyright 2016 Nancy Nyquist Potter

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