Erica Bigelow

What do we owe to others' emotions? My dissertation project studies the relationship between disability, injustice, and emotion, with a particular eye toward emotional manipulation and weaponization via (so-called) 'therapy-speak'. The central positive argument in my dissertation is for a renewed regard for attentive care (with special attention to its roots in Iris Murdoch's ethical writings) as an ameliorative ethical principle that might guide our dealings with others' emotions.

I'm a philosopher-in-residence at Rainier Beach High School (Seattle, WA), and facilitate other precollege philosophy sessions with elementary, middle, and high school students through PLATO. I'm also a research assistant for the communications team at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.