The Philosophers' Café: The Examined Life, with Dr. Xan Bozzo

The Philosophers' Café brings university students and community members together for rich conversation in an unusual format. Hosted by UWGB Philosophy professor Robert Riordan, each discussion will feature a theme relevant to "The Examined Life." Following from Socrates' famous dictum, "the unexamined life is not worth living," what does it mean to live an examined life? These discussions are free and open to the public, giving community members a chance to participate in one of the features of an ongoing philosophy course. For students, the Philosophers' Café provides an opportunity to discuss ideas beyond the artificial boundaries of the university classroom.

This evening's discussion will be led by Dr. Alexander (Xan) Bozzo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Director of the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Wisconsin Stout, on "The Embryo Rescue Case." Suppose an IVF lab has caught fire, threatening a five-year-old child and seven frozen embryos. You can save the child or embryos, but not both. Is it permissible to save the embryos? Most people think not. But this seems to suggest that embryos are not our moral equals, which contradicts a popular pro-life view on the debate about abortion and stem cell research. In this talk, we'll consider the Embryo Rescue Case, and whether it succeeds in showing that embryos have a lesser moral status than the rest of us. 

These conversations will not be recorded or offered virtually. Join us for great discussions, face to face! Light snacks will be provided.