The Ethics of Interacting — In Conversation with Dr. Kimberley Brownlee

What do we owe one another in our everyday interactions? And why do even brief encounters with strangers matter? In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Kimberley Brownlee, Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Political & Social Philosophy. Her research focuses on loneliness, belonging, social human rights and freedom of association, examining fundamental questions about our social needs and our moral responsibilities toward one another. She is the author of two books: Conscience and Conviction: The Case for Civil Disobedience (2012) and Being Sure of Each Other: An Essay on Social Rights and Freedoms (2020), both published by Oxford University Press. Her more recent work includes “On the Ethics of Interacting” (2024) and “Interactional Equality” (2026). Our conversation explores her research on our fundamental need for human connection, drawing on Being Sure of Each Other, her public lecture discussing…