Abstract:

Story-telling is ubiquitous, ranging from fiction to gossip, but what exactly is the core structure of narrative? This talk will propose that narrative thinking takes place when we consider alternative versions of an event – and make excuses. Based on this suggestion, the talk provides an overview of this theory of narrative and ends with a speculation about the connection of narrative and moral reasoning.

Fritz Breithaupt is professor of Germanic Studies, adjunct professor in Comparative Literature, and affiliated professor of Cognitive Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. He has published four books, co-edited four volumes, and has published about 40 full-length articles. His latest books provide humanities responses to work in cognitive science, addressing issues of empathy, narrative thinking, and moral reasoning. His work on Goethe and the romantics, as well as on European literature and philosophy since 1740 is ongoing. Currently, he is writing a book on the connection of narrative thinking and moral reasoning, as well as an English follow-up to his work on empathy, The Dark Sides of Empathy. He has received many honors and distinctions for his work, including an Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship, and was the first Distinguished Remak Scholar at Indiana University in 2008-09. He writes frequently for the German press, especially "Die Zeit" and "Zeit Campus."