Events Across NSM

Wesleyan Animal Studies presents “Defending Animals, Disappointing People: Ethics, Veganism, and the Relationships That Matter” with philosopher Karen S. Emmerman on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 12 -1 PM in Allbritton 311.

What happens when doing what we believe is ethically right means disappointing the people we love? In her new book, Defending Animals, Disappointing People, philosopher Karen S. Emmerman explores the complicated emotional and relational dimensions of living ethically in a world shaped by speciesism. Drawing on care ethics and relational philosophy, Emmerman asks us to think beyond simple moral rules and consider the grief, conflict, responsibility, and possibility for repair that can accompany choices about food, animals, family, and tradition.

Join us for a conversation with Emmerman about relational vegan ecofeminism, the moral significance of our relationships with both humans and other animals, and what it means to navigate ethical commitments without losing sight of the people—and animals—with whom our lives are intertwined.

Karen S. Emmerman, PhD, is an independent scholar and affiliate instructor in philosophy at the University of Washington specializing in ecofeminist animal ethics and philosophy with children. She has published widely on these subjects and brings philosophy into public life through ethics consultations with animal sanctuaries, community education, and more than a decade of work with a vegan food justice organization. Emmerman has also taught thousands of K–12 students and educators internationally through her work as a philosopher-in-residence in Seattle public schools and as Education Director of the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO). She is the author of Defending Animals, Disappointing People (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026).