On the Inequality of Lives
Inaugural Lecture delivered on Thursday 16 January 2020
Excerpt
There is, on the one hand, life that flows from a beginning to an end, and, on the other hand, life that constitutes human singularity because it can be recounted. We may term them “biological life” and “biographical life”. Life expectancy measures the length of the former; a life story relates the richness of the latter. Only by acknowledging both can the inequality of lives be comprehended. They should be conceived of as being both distinct and connected: distinct, because the paradox of Fre...
Editor’s note
The annual Chair of Public Health was created in partnership with the national agency Santé publique France.
Publisher: Collège de France
Place of publication: Paris
Published on OpenEdition Books: September 12, 2023
Digital ISBN: 978-2-7226-0619-7
Series: Leçons inaugurales
Year of publication: 2023
Didier Fassin
Liz Libbrecht (transl.)
On the Inequality of LivesInaugural Lecture delivered at the Collège de France on Thursday 16 January 2020
There is, on the one hand, life that flows from a beginning to an end, and, on the other hand, life that constitutes human singularity because it can be recounted. We may term them “biological life” and “biographical life”. Life expectancy measures the length of the former; a life story relates the richness of the latter. Only by acknowledging both can the inequality of lives be comprehended. They should be conceived of as being both distinct and connected: distinct, because the paradox of French women shows that a long life is no guarantee of a good life; connected, because the experience of African-American men stands as a reminder that a devalued life is a damaged life. This also raises the question of refugees and migrants.
Liz Libbrecht (transl.)
Only the text can be used under the OpenEdition Books License license. Other elements (illustrations, attached files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.
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