Katy Fulfer

Philosophy in the world

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Science fiction versus history in feminist classrooms

Teaching with science fiction I’m a fan of using science fiction in my teaching, probably because I’m a fan of science fiction. After all, Star Trek: The Next Generation was one of my earliest philosophical influences! Craig B. Jacobsen suggests that science fiction’s “generation of cognitive estrangement makes it perhaps uniquely qualified to provide college students with the critical distance necessary to recognize the complexity of the worlds that they must learn to navigate.” [1] By … [Read more...]

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Goodbye, with gratitude

This post is a goodbye and a statement of gratitude for my friend Jesse Lambert, who died on December 22. Gratitude at year's end I took a break from blogging about philosophy last New Year's to say goodbye to my rat Gabrielle, who passed away in December 2017. Though the post was mostly a collection of happy memories about Gabi, it also was an expression of a philosophical tension I have been trying to work through: how to acknowledge my gratitude for the emotional labour companion animals … [Read more...]

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Health Canada posts draft regulations regulating reimbursement in surrogacy and gamete donation

Last month Health Canada released draft language specifying what constitutes a legitimate and legal reimbursement for expenses incurred during gamete provision or surrogacy. Section 12 of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act states that reimbursements must be made "in accordance with the regulations" which have not existed (until now). The lack of regulation has created confusion and wariness about the legality of reimbursing expenses in surrogacy or gamete donation. Indeed, the only criminal … [Read more...]

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Citizenship Week 2018: New Canadians are new workers are new family members

During Citizen Week (October 8-14), I attended a facilitated conversation at CIGI/The Balsillie School with the Honourable Ahmed D. Hussen, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Hussen gave a brief talk, answered some questions asked by Prof. Anna Esselment (Political Science, University of Waterloo), then answered general questions from the audience. Refugees are joining the family Given my research project on refugees and the family as a structure for political … [Read more...]

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Fashionable ethics

There is no ethical consumption under capitalism. I'm not sure who first uttered this phrase, but I often hear it, usually accompanied by an exasperated or defeated sigh. The internet tells me that social media users are responsible for the phrase. An ad popped up in my email today that elicited a defeated sigh from me. It is for a company that aims to, among other admirable initiatives, use recycled materials and make supply chains transparent. The ad included some kudos the company has … [Read more...]