Alfred Archer (Tilburg) “When Artists Fall: Honouring and Admiring the Immoral” (co-authored with Ben Matheson Stockholm University)

Abstract:

Is it appropriate to honour and admire immoral artists? This question is of crucial importance given the recent debates concerning how to respond to prominent cases of artists who have been accused of morally outrageous behaviour. In this paper, focus on the ethics of honouring immoral artists through giving them awards. We argue that there are moral reasons not to express admiration for immoral artists through giving them awards and honours. First, we argue that admiration for immoral artists can serve to condone their behaviour. Second, we argue that admiring immoral artists can generate undue epistemic credibility for the artists, which can lead to an indirect form of testimonial injustice for the artists’ victims. Finally, we argue that admiring immoral artists can also serve to silence their victims.

About Alfred Archer

Alfred Archer is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Tilburg University and a member of The Tilburg Centre for Logic, Ethics, and Philosophy of Science (TiLPS). His primary research interests are in moral philosophy and he is currently working on an NWO funded Veni project on The Value of Admiration. He has previously taught at The University of Bristol and before that completed a PhD at the University of Edinburgh.