The College Arts + Humanities Institute is delighted to present a Meet the Author with Kate Abramson, Mahlon-Powell Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University Bloomington. Abramson will provide a brief insight into her 2024 book, On Gaslighting (Insights: Philosophy in Focus), before being joined by Brenda Weber, Provost Professor of Gender Studies, for an interview-style conversation. The talk will be followed by an audience Q&A and reception.
“Gaslighting” is suddenly in everyone’s vocabulary. It’s become shorthand for being manipulated by someone who insists that up is down, hot is cold, dark is light—someone who isn’t just lying about such things, but trying to drive you crazy. The term has origins in a 1944 film in which a husband does exactly that to his wife, his crazy-making efforts symbolized by the rise and fall of the gaslights in their home. In this timely and provocative book, Kate Abramson examines gaslighting from a philosophical perspective, investigating it as a distinctive moral phenomenon while arguing that such a discussion on gaslighting and its immorality can help us understand other aspects of social life—from racism and sexism to the structure of interpersonal trust.
Kate Abramson is Mahlon-Powell Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Philosophy at IUB. She has been a fellow at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values and has been interviewed about her work for numerous public-facing venues including the NPR program “Think” and The Guardian. On Gaslighting (2024, Princeton University Press) has been the subject of substantial crossover attention including extended reviews in The New York Times and The New Yorker.
This event is presented by the College Arts + Humanities Institute with generous support from the College of Arts + Sciences and the Ruth N. Halls Humanities Fund.
The College of Arts