•
BIDDEFORD, Maine

David Livingstone Smith quoted in ‘Common Space’ article about international responses to refugee suffering

David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, was quoted in James McEnaney’s article, "The guilty silence which leaves blood on all our hands," published recently in the Scottish online news magazine Common Space.

The article discusses the lack of international response to the plight of the world’s 50 million refugees and asylum seekers. It also suggests that Westerners’ response to the suffering of refugees is proportional to how similar those who are suffering look like them, offering the West’s different responses to crises in Rwanda and Bosnia, as examples.

McEnaney references Smith’s book The Most Dangerous Animal: Human Nature and the Origins of War, quoting the statement that "we feel that people who resemble us are more valuable than those who do not."

51С»Æ³µ the University of 51С»Æ³µ

The University of 51С»Æ³µ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.