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ATLANTA—On Nov. 11, Americans will take a moment to thank and honor those who have courageously served in the United States Armed Forces for Veteran’s Day. Department of Philosophy Associate Professor Andrew I. Cohen’s research explores how veterans sometimes have challenges with guilt and shame after deployment, which experts call moral injury.
Experts define moral injury as a disorientation and loss of trust in others or self caused by involvement in injustice or wrongdoing. It typically involves shattered understandings of oneself and the loss of confidence in morality and meaning of community.
Unlike post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), moral injury involves incapacitating guilt and shame. Cohen refers to moral injury as one of the “hidden wounds of war.”
“People are still learning about the meaning and implications of moral injury,” he said. “It’s not just an important research opportunity for scholars but to the people who serve our country.”
Cohen, with Dr. Jennifer Samp of the University of Georgia, received a $180,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2016 to assemble a team of scholars, clinicians and veterans to dig deeper into moral injury.
The team hosts confidential focus groups with veterans to discuss the challenges faced when returning home after service, using the data gathered from the focus groups to develop ways to better assist veterans with moral injury.
“All this matters not just for understanding the significance of what we owe those who serve on our behalf,” said Cohen. “It matters for understanding what we owe to one another as human beings.”
On Monday Nov. 6, Georgia State University’s Jean Beer Blumenfield Center for Ethics will host a panel discussion, “War is Hell. Coming Home is Harder,” on the ethics of reintegrating people returning from war featuring author and veteran Nick Irving. Later that evening, there will be a screening of “Almost Sunrise,” a 2016 documentary highlighting the struggles of two Iraq combat veterans, in Cinefest at 7 p.m.
To follow Cohen’s work with moral injury, please click here.
Featured Researcher
Andrew I. Cohen
Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
Andrew I. Cohen’s research focuses on themes in ethics, practical ethics, and social/political philosophy. He has published on themes in Hobbesian political theory, rights theory, and contractarian political morality. His current research focuses on reparations and apologies, the moral standing of nonhuman animals, and global justice.