Gwen Bradford is the speaker for the Philosophy Department’s first Rhoden Lecture for 2021, titled ‘Irreplaceable Value’:

Abstract: If the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, the mask of Tutankhamun, or the Sword of Goujian were destroyed, nothing, it is reasonable to think, could replace them. New works of art that are even more impressive may be created, or new artifacts may be discovered, which may replenish the value in the world in amount, but they would not, one might think, replenish it in kind. Works of art, historical artifacts, endangered species, and perhaps even you and me all have irreplaceable value. But just what is irreplaceable value, how is it different from other kinds of value, and why does it matter?

The talk will be followed by discussion.

Gwen Bradford is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rice University, and she has been a Faculty Fellow at the Murphy Institute at Tulane University. Her book, Achievement (OUP), was awarded the APA Book Prize in 2017. Her current work investigates issues in well-being, ill-being, and irreplaceable value.