Why is human history filled with so much violence against women and members of the LGBTQIA community? Why is sexuality the site of such destructive abuse?

Helga Varden, an associate professor in philosophy and women and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, explores whether philosophy can provide any resources to better understand the nature and complexity of this violence; and maybe even provide some answers for how to diminish its occurrence. The talk looks to Immanuel Kant—his account of human nature, including our propensity to do evil—to explore this nest of issues.

On Monday, April 30, Varden will present Sexual Violence and Oppression: A Kantian Approach, this year’s Niebuhr Lecture at Elmhurst College. The talk begins at 4:00 p.m. in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center. Admission is free and all are welcome.

The Niebuhr Lecture is Elmhurst College’s oldest lecture. It features theologians and religious scholars, primarily in the tradition of the United Church of Christ. The series honors Elmhurst College alumni Reinhold and H. Richard Niebuhr, widely considered to be among the foremost American theologians of the 20th century.