Philosophy professor Janice Daurio gave her Multicultural Day lecture Tuesday, April 12, morning called ‘What Kind of Society Promotes Wellness?’ The answer to this question was answered in the form of a brief lesson on philosophy—namely on communitarianism and self-identification.

She mentioned two philosophers and their differing ideals about communitarianism; Charles Taylor with his ideals of the atomistic view of self, which is when you withdraw into yourself to figure out who you are, and Michael Sandel with his opposing ideals of the relational self, which is when those around you help you realize who you are.

It is these different ways of identifying yourself that leads to the promotion of wellness in a society, said Daurio.

“Engaging with people with opposing views is when you’re most yourself,” she said. “The other person with opposing views is giving you a gift—you can learn something.”

Throughout the lecture, Daurio fervently encouraged the audience participation by having them share ways in which they identified themselves and others, asking for feedback about the concepts she introduced.

Daurio briefly touched on politics, voicing how all political parties need to embrace their differences and promote healthy debate to promote wellness in society. She described how Donald Trump’s ideals about people of different religious or ethnic groups were something that would be incredibly damaging to the country.

“You are in deep, deep trouble if you hold a view so tightly that you can’t see the other side,” she said.

Daurio’s philosophical views about how to identify yourself and find wellness in society was both informative and inspirational. At the core of her lecture are these ideals: healthy debate needs to be promoted and differences between people in opinion or lifestyle should be seen as a learning experience and add to the spice of life rather than something to be avoided.