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Extreme Beliefs

Lecture “Flat Stories and Extremist Beliefs” by Jennifer Lackey

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Lecture “Flat Stories and Extremist Beliefs” by Jennifer Lackey

Datum evenement: 11 April 2025
Locatie: Hybrid: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Zoom

Description

When: 11 April 2025, 11.00 a.m.
Registration: send an e-mail to extremebeliefs.fgw@vu.nl, to receive the location and/or zoomlink.

“Flat Stories and Extremist Beliefs”

Stories are as important as they are ubiquitous, depicting everything from the origin of the universe to the driving force behind an isolated act by a single individual. But stories do not just depict what has actually occurred—they can also exert tremendous power over what does or even can occur. In this talk, I will focus on one dimension of this, exploring how stories can fuel extremist beliefs and policies about other people. I support this through the introduction of the concept of “misknowing,” which applies when only a narrow, one-dimensional set of facts are known about a person, often centering on those that are most injurious. I show that misknowing is often fueled by “flat stories” about the person in question, which depict him in static, one-dimensional, and psychologically simplistic terms. When such stories are grounded in injustice, epistemic reparations can require “rounder stories,” which portray a person in dynamic, multidimensional, and psychologically complex terms.

Jennifer Lackey is Wayne and Elizabeth Jones Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Law at Northwestern University and Director of the Northwestern Prison Education Program.

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This project is funded by:

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
European Research Council
European Union