September 17, 2026 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Institute for Bioethics Seminar
Daniel Wilkenfeld, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Acute & Tertiary Care, School of Nursing
Permanent Fellow, Center for Philosophy of Science
Core Faculty, Institute for Bioethics
Daniel Wilkenfeld, PhD, will illustrate the contours of a general research project involving clarifying the nature of moral distress, its role, and its connection to metaethical questions about the true nature of morality. (Caveat emptor: do not attend with the expectation that the true nature of morality will be revealed.) The first part of this project explores the concept of moral distress, arguing that it is best understood along traditionalist lines that emphasize the centrality of external constraints. The second part shifts to a discussion of the role of moral distress, arguing that in some circumstances a certain degree of moral distress is fitting and appropriate, to the point where it would be more concerning to imagine a world in which people responded to similarly unfavorable situations in a more blasé fashion. Finally, the project turns to basic metaethical issues by questioning whether bioethical questions are best understood as inherently subjective. (They are not.)
Sponsored by the Institute for Bioethics
Location and Address
In-person in Room 3702, Scaife Hall