10/28 Part II: The Ethics of Curing/Care

If neurodiversity and disability are part of human variation, what does that mean for how we approach cure? Should medicine always aim to normalize the brain and body - or should society change the conditions that make difference so hard to live with?

In Part II of our Philosophy of Disability series, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA) will explore the ethics of cure, care, and value. We’ll ask how the push to “fix” difference can erase identity, and how the philosophy of care reframes dependence and interdependence as strengths rather than failings.

Drawing from thinkers like Eva Kittay, Susan Wendell, and Jasbir Puar, we’ll examine what it means to value minds and bodies that work differently. What if being “productive” isn’t the same as being fulfilled? What if inclusion means reimagining success itself?

We’ll connect these ideas to real-world experiences of chronic illness, neurodivergence, and higher education — discussing how ethics can guide more compassionate classrooms, policies, and healthcare systems.

Suggested Readings (Part II)

• Kittay (2019). Learning from My Daughter: The Value and Care of Disabled Minds. Oxford University Press.

• Puar (2017). The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability. Duke University Press.

• Wendell (1996). The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability. Routledge.