Reading group: Jane Addams, Democracy and Social Ethics, the chapter on charity, over two weeks
Its coordinates: 6.7 Social Ontology · 6.15 Philosophy of Social Science · 6.31 Philosophy of Culture
Jane Addams co-founded Hull House on Chicago's Near West Side in 1889 and wrote philosophy out of what happened there. Democracy and Social Ethics (1902) is her most philosophical book, and its chapter "Charitable Effort" is the one I give every new volunteer I train.
The plan: one chapter, a long evening's reading, spread over two weeks. The book is in the public domain and easy to find online.
What happens in it: Addams follows the "charity visitor", a well-meaning woman from a comfortable home, into the household of a poor family. The visitor praises thrift, saving and sobriety. The family values generosity to neighbours, lending what little they have, and a decent funeral. Each side judges the other by its own morality, and each is partly right. Her point is that the visitor's ethics, however sincere, was formed in a different life, and that charity which will not learn from the people it serves is not yet democratic.
Questions to bring:
- Is Addams describing a clash of values, or a clash of circumstances?
- What would charity that learns look like in a food pantry or a mutual-aid group today?
Week one: first half of the chapter. Week two: the rest. All welcome, including first-timers.