The term "racism" has been trivialized, said Lawrence Blum on Thursday in a speech for the Parr Center for Ethics.
Blum, a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, spoke about his book "I'm Not a Racist, But-" and addressed the different types of racism found in a society.
The social concept of racism has been tossed around too lightly, Blum said. Racism is evident in different forms, he said, including personal antipathy toward another race and institutional racism exerted by those in power.
"People are always saying that they don't mean to offend someone," Blum said. "Whether or not they mean it, it's still a form of racism."
Blum was invited to speak by the Parr Center for Ethics in the College of Arts and Sciences, a group that aims to represent the University's commitment to ethical education.
The Parr Center was founded last year to foster an ethical community in Chapel Hill through events such as a public forum, ethics workshops and lectures, according to the group's Web site.
By bringing in speakers such as Blum, leaders of the Parr Center hope to spur discussion about a wide variety of ethical issues, said Jan Boxill, the interim director for the group.
While Blum focused on moral issues associated with racism, Boxill said other events include topics such as classic moral theory, ethics and gender and ethical issues with the Human Genome Project.
"The Parr Center is a terrific step forward for the University. It's trying to connect all the various people that teach ethics across campus to the community," said Robert Adler, a professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. "I'm delighted to see it come to fruition."
