Being on Someone’s Side: What It Means to Act and Feel on Behalf of Others

About this episode

The episode explores the philosophical implications of acting and feeling on behalf of others, as discussed by Prof. Neil Roughley.

What does it really mean to act or feel on behalf of another person? The phrase is familiar in everyday life. Parents apologise on behalf of their children, lawyers speak on behalf of their clients, and friends feel anger or pride on behalf of those they care about. These cases seem ordinary, yet they raise difficult questions. Whose action is this, exactly? Whose feeling is being expressed? And what sort of relationship makes this kind of representation possible? In his paper “On Behalfness: Siding with Others in Action and Emotion,” philosopher Prof. Neil Roughley at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany argues that these everyday practices reveal a distinctive form of alignment between people that deserves careful philosophical attention.

People in this episode

Guest: Prof Neil Roughley

Topics covered

• philosophy
• empathy
• representation
• relationships

Keywords

• on behalf
• alignment
• action
• emotion

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: On Behalfness: Siding with Others in Action and Emotion

Places: Germany

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