Gossip as a Commitment

The Sciences of Ethics and Political Philosophy Reading Group will get together on June 12, at 4 PM [WEST], to discuss a paper by Saira Khan (work in progress), Gossip as a Commitment. This session will have the confirmed presence of the author.

Abstract

Robin Dunbar has argued that gossip is a means of social information-sharing in large groups. In this paper, I extend Dunbar’s work, providing an explanation of the proliferation of gossip which appeals to its immediate benefit to the sender of the gossip signal. At the same time as being a reputation-sharing mechanism, gossip constitutes a commitment to act in similar/dissimilar manner to the person about whom we gossip.

Anyone interested in participating can send an email to Filipe Faria: filipefaria@fcsh.unl.pt.

The Sciences of Ethics and Political Philosophy Reading Group is an international monthly-assembling online reading group co-hosted by the CFCUL and the Ethics and Political Philosophy Lab (EPLab) of the IFILNOVA. More information about the group here.