Why nationalism won't go away | Alain de Botton, Alex O'Connor, Tommy Curry, Seyla Benhabib

Alain de Botton, Tommy Curry and Seyla Benhabib discuss whether it is simply human nature to favour those who are most similar to us, and what this means for the notion of moral relativism. Should everyone be treated equally? With a free trial, you can watch the full debate NOW at https://iai.tv/video/neighbours-befor... Many see populism with its focus on immigration and nationalism as not only politically dangerous but morally wrong. This reflects the universalist morality of the main Western moral frameworks. But critics argue moral universalism generates a case for favouring strangers over the interests of those close to us and that it is profoundly mistaken. In contrast, Chinese Confucian morality accepts partiality towards our nearest. Recent studies have shown that we do in practice favour those close to us, and moreover that we think we are morally right to do so. #immigration #nationalism #morality Alain de Botton is the best-selling philosopher and founder of The School of Life, an organisation dedicated to developing emotional intelligence through philosophy, psychotherapy, and culture. Seyla Benhabib is one of the most influential political philosophers of her generation and is the author of At the Margins of the Modern State. Tommy Curry is the Personal Chair of Africana Philosophy and Black Male Studies at the University of Edinburgh, renowned for his critical scholarship on the intersection of race, gender, and power. Alex O'Connor hosts. The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! https://iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=Y... https://iai.tv/video/neighbours-befor... 0:00 Intro 00:40 Alain de Botton on the difficulty of being a Kantian in our current political reality 03:45 Alain de Botton on whether a nation can exist without a level of preferential treatment for fellow citizens 05:06 Tommy Curry on how moral universalism has historically been manipulated and violated by those in power 09:00 Alain de Botton on how Christian morality recognises and accepts moral failure 10:55 Seyla Benhabib on how the current immigration situation is not solely a failure of moral universalism 15:28 Tommy Curry on how we naturally prefer those who are like us For debates and talks: https://iai.tv For articles: https://iai.tv/articles For courses: https://iai.tv/iai-academy/courses