Dr. Warren Kessler, Fresno State philosophy professor, will be the final speaker in the Department of Philosophy’s Spring 2005 Colloquium Series, on Tuesday, April 26, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in UC 202.
Using a basic interpretation of principles in John Rawls’ “A Theory of Justice,” Kessler will speak on “Rawls and Farm Labor Justice.” The program is free and open to the public. For more information contact colloquia organizer Mary Domski at mdomski@csufresno.edu.
Kessler offers the following commentary on his speech:
“Farm workers are crucial to America’s food supply and a good bit of the prosperity of our region in the San Joaquin Valley. They are among the hardest working people in our society, yet are among the poorest. Consisting heavily of undocumented immigrants in California, our farm workers often live in squalor, have marginal incomes, lack union representation, and have a dubious status regarding immigration and legal rights.
“While many people and many in agribusiness believe farm workers are getting a relatively fair deal, I will argue that they are being abused and exploited. I will present an analysis of social justice issues relating to farm labor. I will argue that corporate farmers, family farmers and government are not alone in having responsibility to assure fairness for farm workers. Consumers are also a major beneficiary of the exploitation of farm workers.
“I will examine several options for providing greater fairness for farm workers, concluding that consumers, through a designated food sales tax, can take a major stride to improve the lot of farm workers and simultaneously reduce their own complicity in the current exploitation of farm labor.
“Finally, I will argue that our university can take leadership in addressing this issue, ending its own quiet complicity in the region’s injustice.”
About the speaker: Kessler received his B.A. at Rutgers University and his master’s and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University or Wisconsin in the height of the Vietnam anti-war movement. After coming to Fresno State College in 1968, he quickly became a campus political activist.
He has been chair of the Philosophy Department three times and often a leader in the Academic Senate. He frequently teaches Introduction to Philosophy courses and a wide range of Applied Ethics courses, in addition to advanced courses in Modern Philosophy and Social and Political Philosophy. Kessler will be retiring from full-time teaching this summer after 37 years on the faculty. However, he will continue to teach one semester a year for the next five years.
