Topics

About this talk

Christmas is that time of the year when we are supposed to be kinder, more generous, more forgiving. We donate more money to charity, we visit relatives whose existence we’re not even sure about throughout the rest of the year, and we try to let go of the small resentments that occupy our mind from January to November. It is almost as if there was a special set of moral principles governing Christmas time, and which we are free to ignore throughout the rest of the year. What changes in our set of moral principles and rules during this special time? Do different moral principles or theories become salient? Or do moral principles stay the same as in normal time, but in a context of scaled up expectations living up to them requires doing something more than usual?  We will examine possible answers and suggest that reflecting upon the nature of our special moral obligations around Christmas could reveal a lot about ourselves and our moral landscape in “normal times”.

→ More information & booking (opens in new tab)