Date of Award
12-1-2015
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Philosophy
First Advisor
Stikkers, Keneth
Abstract
This dissertation is an attempt to explain how listening functions in ethical and political contexts. I put forward a three-fold way of listening that begins in selfishness and ends in empathy. These three ways of listening I refer to as: “listening-for,” “listening-to,” and “listening-with.” I will briefly explain how each of these ways of listening function in lived experience. Listening-for is self-centered, listening-to deals in relations between self and other, and listening-with involves both parties (individuals or groups) working together. These forms of listening are implicitly situated in both Hans-Georg Gadamer and Jane Addams. The bulk of the dissertation is unpacking this general theory of listening based on Gadamer’s and Addams’s thought.
Access
This dissertation is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.