2008-09 Feinberg Series: "Injury: New Perspectives on Suffering and Compensation"
The 2008-09 Feinberg Series presents "Injury: New Perspectives on American Ideas of Suffering and Compensation," a panel discussion with Jennifer Hamilton, Daniel Gordon, and Gary Garrison.
Jennifer Hamilton is an assistant professor of legal studies at Hampshire College. Daniel Gordon is a professor of history at UMass Amherst. Gary Garrison is a Ph.D. candidate in the history department at UMass Amherst.
From Professor Gordon: "Sometimes we refer to personal injury lawyers as 'ambulance chasers' as if this is not a serious field. But in personal injury law, the most serious issues concerning the value of human life are at the forefront. How much does it take to compensate for the loss of a limb? How do we put a dollar sign on the cost of a death?
"As Kenneth R. Feinberg shows in his book What Is Life Worth, the issues are profound and agonizing. This panel will examine American conceptions of value in a historical and other social scientific contexts. What kinds of changes have taken place in our compensation system over time? How does our current system of compensation for injury compare to other nations? The speakers will offer both a legal primer for beginners and some in-depth analysis. Discussion will follow the presentations."
This event is free and open to the public.
