Why Is It So Hard: The Dilemma of Social Justice

Social justice dilemmas are situations in which collective interests are at odds with private interests. Such situations arise when faced with prioritizing either short-term selfish interests or the long-term interests of a group, organization, or society. Many of the most challenging issues, from the interpersonal to the intergroup, are at their core social dilemmas. Conflicts arise when motives concerning the group are overcome by individual motives or vice versa. When this happens in a perfect world, Governments ought to intervene and restore the balance of interest, but is it happening? Speaker: Thomas King Thomas King is a noted novelist, broadcaster, and academic. Some of his most praised works are Medicine River; Green Grass, Running Water; The Truth about Stories; and recently The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America. King became a member of the Order of Canada in 2004, and was awarded the RBC Taylor Prize and the British Columbia National non-fiction award both in 2014. King taught Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge in the early 1980s. King also served as a faculty member of the University of Minnesota's American Indian Studies Department, and has recently retired from his post as an English professor at the University of Guelph Moderator: Martin Heavy Head Date: Monday, October 20, 2014 Time: 1:00 – 2:00 pm Location: Room TH204, Turcotte Hall, University of Lethbridge Free event, everyone welcome