Making hard choices

Oxford Professor of Jurisprudence to give Royal Institute of Philosophy Cardiff Annual Lecture

Making hard choices is something we all face in life. In a world facing global warming for instance: should I give up my car? With populations expanding and resources shrinking, should I go vegan or have children? Which career should I pursue? With so much need in the world, how much should I give to charity?

This year’s Royal Institute of Philosophy Cardiff Annual Lecture brings a leading philosopher’s expertise to the fore in helping us understand what makes choices difficult and how our thinking about them might change.

In this timely talk, Professor Ruth Chang explain what hard choices are, and what, in particular, makes them hard. It turns out that how we relate to the world in the decisions we make is fundamentally askew. By thinking about our place in the world differently, we uncover a distinctive way of thinking about our hard choices and what to do in the face of them.

Professor Chang is Chair of Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford. Her Ted talk on hard choices has reached a global audience of more than seven million. Her current academic work concerns the nature of values and reasons, decision-making and reasoning, love and commitment, and the nature of the self.

Formerly Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University in the US, the lawyer-turned-academic has worked with a variety of industries, including video gaming, pharmaceuticals, head-hunting, banking and finance, and a variety of institutions, including the U.S. Navy, the CIA, National Geographic, and the World Bank. Her work includes a pro bono death penalty case and several product liability and medical malpractice cases as a law associate.

Hard Choices, The Royal Institute of Philosophy’s Cardiff Annual Lecture takes place on Thursday 16th May at 7pm at Cardiff University [Wallace Lecture Theatre, Main Building, Park Place, CF10 3AT]. Entry is completely free, with doors opening at 6.30pm. No booking is required.  Space is limited, so do arrive early.

The Cardiff branch of the Royal Institute of Philosophy holds regular events which are advertised on their Public Philosophy in Cardiff website.

Philosophy at Cardiff University ranked 4^th for the impact of its research on society in REF2014, the latest national research assessment exercise. Its new MA in Philosophy is available both full-time and part-time, with online application including related scholarship information such as the University’s Master’s Excellence Scholarships.