About this Event
Does Injustice Have a Half-Life? A Philosophical Study on Reparations
How long does it take to make things right?
• Enslaved people who were emancipated in the 1860s were entitled to reparations. Have the scales been balanced yet?
• The Cherokee people who were forcibly removed from Georgia in the 1830s doubtless had a right to reclaim their land. Do their descendants have these same rights today?
Dr. Christopher Heath “Kit” Wellman will examine and respond to the idea that the effects of historical injustice may diminish over time. Drawing on examples including slavery and the forced removal of the Cherokee, he will consider whether rights to reparations or restitution persist across generations and explore philosopher Jeremy Waldron’s influential work on how moral rights can change over time.
Dr. Kit Wellman teaches philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis. He works in ethics, specializing in political and legal philosophy. His recent book, “Rights and Resistance,” was published by Oxford University Press in 2025.
Event Details
The free lecture will be held in Washburn A in the Memorial Union on the Washburn University campus. There will be a Q&A session and a reception after the lecture.
About the Russell Jacobs Lecture in Philosophy
The purpose of the Russell Jacobs Lecture in Philosophy is to bring outstanding philosophers and discussion of their work to Washburn University. It is held in the fall and is always free and open to the public. Emeritus faculty member Russell Jacobs established this lecture upon his retirement.
Event venue & nearby stays
Washburn University - Memorial Union, 1820 Southwest Jewell Avenue, Topeka, United States
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