Kwame Anthony Appiah teaches philosophy
at N.Y.U. His books include ‘‘Cosmopolitanism,’’
‘‘The Honor Code’’ and ‘‘The Lies That Bind:
Rethinking Identity.’’In an ideal
world — or
simply a better
governed
America — you
wouldn’t have
to think
about this
question; tests
wouldn’t
be a scarce
resource.want to see him pay some penalty. And
you could do that by letting people in the
community where he lives know about
your experience. But you didn’t ask me
whether you should seek to make him pay
for his crime; you asked if you had a duty
to tell people in the community where he
now lives what he has done. You report
evidence that he’s reformed — he has
given up alcohol (which is especially rel-
evant if his drinking played a role in the
attack), married, committed to public ser-
vice and, perhaps, paid some cost for his
behavior in lost friends. So you don’t seem
to think he poses a clear ongoing threat.
You have no duty, then, to revisit this trau-
ma for the sake of the safety of those in his
community, particularly if doing so would
risk psychological harm to you.best, given the concerns of data-driven
management, if everyone complies.
My wife and I live in a beautiful
community in the South Carolina
Lowcountry that, unfortunately, uses
the word ‘‘plantation’’ in its name.
Knowing how off ensive this word is, and
the hurt it causes islanders of color (e.g.,
the Gullah Geechee people), we joined a
group of residents formed to convince
the governing board to replace the word
‘‘plantation’’ in the community’s name
with something else. Ultimately, our eff orts
were unsuccessful. More than 52 percent
of respondents voted to keep the name as is.
Before this issue arose (and before
we were fully aware of the off ensiveness
of ‘‘plantation’’), we were considering
moving to a new home in our community;
now we are not so sure we should. Given
what we now know, is it ethical to buy a
home in a community that affi rmatively
chooses to keep an off ensive name?
Name Withheld
I’m with you on changing the name. Plan-
tations were places where Black people
were not only denied basic human rights
but were also subject to sexual assault and
physical torture — a repugnant legacy to
want to hold onto. But you’ve done your
part to try to put this right. And if you stick
around, you can try to make the change
again. Leaving is giving up on that project
— and on the 48 percent who agree with
you. You say the area is beautiful: If you’re
happy there, moving away would be a loss
and inconvenience to you, for no obvious
gain. The times are changing. We can hope
your side will prevail sometime soon.
Some years ago, I was raped by
an acquaintance. Before that event,
I was warned by friends to keep my
distance from him but didn’t heed
their advice; I later learned that this
man violently sexually assaulted
another woman before he assaulted
me. I went to the police following my
experience, but he was never charged
with any crime and he moved away
soon after. I eventually moved, too.
Recently, I moved to yet another
city and learned that he moved to
the city where I had been living last,
and where I still have many friends
and acquaintances, particularly
in the L.G.B.T. community. I know
that he identifi es as L.G.B.T.
To my knowledge, he has not assaulted
anyone since I reported him to the police.
He quit drinking and got married.
He lost many friends and raised money
for a domestic-violence organization. I
developed PTSD as a result of the attack
and have spent years in therapy to
diminish (but not completely eliminate)
my symptoms, and this led to the
dissolution of my marriage at the time.
I have since rebuilt a new life with a
new partner and built a career that
allows me to work in mental health. Is it
my responsibility to warn my friends in
his new city, or is it my ethical obligation
to let him continue to lead his life?Name WithheldI am so sorry to hear about what this per-
son did to you. It’s natural, given that he
never faced punishment for his crime, to