Envy and Prejudice: The Role of Envy in a Racially Divided Public Sphere

Time: 12.15-13.45
Place: The meeting will be held on Zoom.

Abstract: In recent times philosophers of emotions have started investigating the role of anger, hatred, fear, and contempt in relation to racism and racial injustice. Envy, however, has been so far ignored. In this talk I start remedying this lacuna by asking what role group envy may play in racial relations. I suggest that different forms of malicious envy play a central role in anti-Asian racism, in particular, and explore the possibility that more benign forms of envy may drive positive, if limited, political change.

Sara Protasi is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Puget Sound and the author of The Philosophy of Envy (Cambridge University Press, 2021).