Rieder to explore today’s ethical choices in campus return

Johns Hopkins University bioethics professor, author and speaker Travis Rieder ‘04 will return to the Hanover College campus Tuesday, March 12, to discuss his upcoming book, “Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices.”

Rieder is an associate research professor at Johns Hopkins’ Berman Institute of Bioethics and serves as director of the Master of Bioethics degree program. His research interests include ethical and policy issues surrounding the use of prescription and illicit opioids, sustainability, planetary limits, climate change and procreation.

“Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices,” Rieder’s second book, is scheduled for release March 5. The text explores how our everyday decisions may (or may not) affect larger issues and whether “doing the right thing” is enough amid today’s often complex challenges.

The address will begin at 7 p.m. in Science Center, room 137. The event is open to the public, free of charge.

Rieder published his first book, “In Pain: A Bioethicist’s Personal Struggle With Opioids,” in 2019. The memoir delivered a moving account of his opioid dependence and withdrawal following injuries suffered in a traffic accident. The work was named an NPR Best Book of 2019 and his TED Talk on the same topic has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.

In addition to his books, Rieder has been interviewed by Terry Gross on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” and his opinion writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today and Psychology Today.

Rieder majored in philosophy during his undergraduate years at Hanover. He later earned a master’s degree in philosophy at the University of South Carolina and a doctoral degree in philosophy at Georgetown University.

The event is sponsored by the Class of 1965 Speaker Fund, Hanover College Philosophy Department and Environmental Stewardship Committee with support from the Hanover Enrichment Series.