Why Hope? Reflections on Addiction and Psychedelics
A Philosophy in the Community event with philosophy professor Sarah Hoffman
Date: Friday, Sept. 13
Time: 7 pm
Location: The Refinery
Emmanuel Anglican (formerly St. James) Church Basement
607 Dufferin Avenue
About this event
A standard view of hope identifies it as a combination of desiring something and believing it possible but not certain. Adrienne Martin supplements this with the further idea that in hoping we also take ourselves to have sufficient reasons to engage in certain activities and feelings directed towards what we hope for. In this talk I explore these ideas and implications they have for understanding the role that hope and the capacity to hope seem to play in overcoming addiction. An account of hope like Martin’s illuminates this process and, additionally, why psychedelic-assisted therapy seems so promising for addressing substance use disorder.
Upcoming Events
Recalibrating Canada’s Immigration Architecture: Insights from Research on Economic Inclusion and Institutional Mediation
Feb 5, 2026
The 54th Annual Sorokin Lecture is presented by Dr. Rupa Banerjee (PhD)
Women Plus Water Conversation: Women + Cryospheric Decade
Feb 11, 2026
An event in recognition of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science