Her talk at Geneseo will relate to her 2023 book. She will discuss the history of the Protestant work ethic in relation to the historical and contemporary moral theory of utilitarianism. She argues that political aims to inculcate the work ethic into the poor during the Industrial Revolution drove the elimination of concerns about relational equality and distributive justice within the theory of utilitarianism.

Dr. Anderson is the Anderson is the Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy, John Dewey Distinguished University Professor; Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan and was the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2019.

This event is sponsored by the departments of Philosophy and Political Science, and the School of Business. It is co-sponsored by the departments of Sociology and History, and the Mellon Foundation.