This is a mock interview I conducted based on a hypothetical philosophical "encounter" with American philosopher, Martha Nussbaum about her philosophical ideas, and my ideas as well. It focuses on ethics and the human condition.

1. B Y: K A C I G R A H A M
PHILOSOPHICAL ENCOUNTER WITH
MARTHA NUSSBAUM

2. MARTHA NUSSBAUM: THE
PHILOSOPHER
• The current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law
and Ethics at the University of Chicago, a chair that includes
appointments in the philosophy department and the law school.
• One of her major works ( the one we will be focusing on for this
encounter) is The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek
Tragedy and Philosophy. It focuses on the ethical dilemma of justice
and external factors that may compromise human flourishing.

3. THE ENCOUNTER
• Kaci: Ms. Nussbaum, can you explain why you think the human condition
makes us fragile?
• Nussbaum: To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the
world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control, that can
lead you to be shattered in very extreme circumstances for which you were
not to blame. That says something very important about the human
condition of the ethical life.
• Kaci: So do you think we should guard ourselves so we don’t get hurt or
have tragedy befall us?
• Nussbaum: If we run from people and do not trust them, that will make us
no longer human. It is the paradox of the human condition.

4. THE HUMAN CONDITION

5. THE ENCOUNTER CONTINUES
• Kaci: Doesn’t tragedy strike when we have to make
difficult choices about things we cannot possibly choose
between?
• Nussbaum: This point can be illustrated with the story of
Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, in which the king-protagonist
has to choose between saving his army and saving his
daughter. The same tragedy plays out on a smaller scale
in everyday dilemmas, such as juggling your career with
being a good parent. Sometimes, one of these things will
suffer because life just happens that way.

6. AGAMEMNON/WORKING PARENT

7. THE ENCOUNTER CONTINUES
• Kaci: Do you think human goodness can fully protect
against evil as Plato suggested?
• Nussbaum: Absolutely not. Acknowledgement of
vulnerability is key to recognizing human good, and
vulnerability plays a role in how a good a person is.
• Kaci: So you would side with Aristotle instead?
• Nussbaum: Yes I would. Even individuals extremely
committed to justice are vulnerable to circumstances that
comprise their goodness or flourishing.

8. ARISTOTLE VS. PLATO

9. THE REBUTTAL
• Kaci: Ms. Nussbaum, I appreciate your insights in this
philosophical discussion. Allow me to discuss some of my
own philosophical ideas. While all humans are theoretically
seconds from tragedy at any given time, I don’t believe this
makes us fragile, I think it makes us strong. When we do
endure tragedy, we handle it with such resilience and grace
because humans are strong, not fragile. And yes, sometimes
we struggle to do it all, but all of those things that are
important to us are what makes our human lives worth it. I
think Plato could have been correct at least partially. Human
goodness could very possibly fully protect against peril, but I
don’t think there is enough human goodness in the world.

10. MARTHA NUSSBAUM VS. KACI GRAHAM