Politics of Wonder: Difference and Dignity in Nature and Society

In her work on the ethics of non-human species, Martha Nussbaum has argued that an attitude of wonder should play a central role in our dealings with the world of living nature. For Nussbaum, wonder at a being’s particular form of life enables us to recognize it as a subject of dignity, worthy of respect and consideration in various ways.

 

This workshop will explore applications of this idea to human socio-political relations. If wonder at the diversity of life in general can open up our perception of the scope of dignity and respect, can wonder in the context of human difference enhance respect between people? What are the implications for our understanding of political judgment, the conditions of democratic politics, or positive trans-cultural relations? More fundamentally, what should we understand by ‘wonder’, and what roles can it be expected to play in the context of the political? The workshop will consist of a series of papers addressing these issues.