Mary Kate McGowan (Wellesley)
Lately, there has been quite a lot of discussion – both in academic philosophy and in the media – about silencing but what is it exactly? How should we define silencing and for what purpose(s)? This talk will explore some of the issues associated with defining silencing; it will identify some options and offer a rationale for treating communicative failure as a necessary condition of silencing. It will also offer three different characterizations of communicative failure and explain why each has some appeal.
