Larisa Svirsky, The Second Personal Significance of Trauma
For the latest events, projects, podcasts, and more from the Centre for Ethics, visit The SecondPersonal Significance of Trauma There is a substantial literature about whether trauma or other poor formative circumstances interfere with the development or exercise of the capacities required to be responsible. In this paper, I will be focusing on the ways in which trauma may affect responsibility attributions in the context of close interpersonal relationships. I will argue for two claims: first, that the question of whether trauma diminishes responsibility should be addressed in this secondpersonal context, and second, that in interpersonal relationships, it matters not only what hardships those close to us have experienced, but how they want us to respond to their history when holding them responsible. In order to illustrate these claims, I will consider an extended literary example drawn from the novel A Little Life. I take this example to offer clear and d
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