sexual harassment
Sexual Harassment, Advice, and Institutional Failure
Imagine you have seen or been told of sexual harassment in your department, or experienced it yourself, and that you reported it, and that nothing happened: no one was held accountable, nothing official was said about it, nothing was done to decrease the likelihood of it happening again. (more…)
Call for Signatures on Statement Regarding Sexual Harassment in Philosophy
Jan Dowell and David Sobel (Syracuse) are calling for philosophers to add their signatures to a statement on sexual harassment in philosophy. (more…)
Sexual Harassment in Philosophy, Part 2 (guest post by Janice Dowell and David Sobel)
The following is a guest post* by Janice Dowell and David Sobel, professors of philosophy at Syracuse University, with help from several other philosophers. It is the second in a two-part series on sexual harassment in philosophy. Part 1 is here. (more…)
Sexual Harassment in Philosophy (guest post by Janice Dowell and David Sobel)
The following is a guest post* by Janice Dowell and David Sobel, professors of philosophy at Syracuse University. It is also posted at PEA Soup.
Searle Found to Have Violated Sexual Harassment Policies (Updated with further details and statement from Berkeley)
Well-known philosopher John Searle, who began teaching at the University of California, Berkeley in 1959, has been stripped of his emeritus status there owing to the finding that he violated the university’s sexual harassment policies.
Baylor: Dougherty Responsible for Violating Sexual Harassment and Interpersonal Violence Policy (Several Updates)
An investigation at Baylor University has determined that Trent Dougherty, a philosophy professor there since 2009 who specializes in philosophy of religion, violated the school’s Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Interpersonal Violence Policy. Dougherty resigned from the University earlier this week, though according to a philosophy faculty member, “tenured m..
Concordia Philosophy Faculty Response to Sexual Harassment Allegations
Last month it was reported that several students had accused a professor of philosophy at Concordia University of sexual harassment. Faculty in the university’s Department of Philosophy have now issued a statement in response to the allegations. (more…)
Students Allege Sexual Harassment by Concordia Philosophy Professor
Several students at Concordia University have accused a professor in its Department of Philosophy of sexual harassment. One of the students has accused the university of “systemic failings of its sexual violence and sexual harassment policies,” filed a civil rights complaint against the school that includes a request that the accused professor “face sanctions for ..
Sexual Harassment, Assault, and Retaliation Lawsuit Against John Searle
John Searle, the Willis S. and Marion Slusser Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind and Language at the University of California, Berkeley, is being sued for sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation by a former female Berkeley undergraduate who worked for him as an assistant at the John Searle Center for Social Ontology. (more…)
Was A Philosophy Instructor Fired To Retaliate For His Wife’s Complaint of Sexual Harassment?
English Professor Michelle Karnes claims that Stanford University did not renew the contract of her husband, philosophy instructor Shane Duarte, in order to retaliate against her for filing a sexual harassment complaint against a senior faculty member. Karnes is now associate professor of English at Notre Dame, and her husband has secured a position there as well. ..
Thomas Pogge, Yale University, and Sexual Harassment (Updated)
When Thomas Pogge travels around the world, he finds eager young fans waiting for him in every lecture hall. The 62-year-old German-born professor, a protégé of the philosopher John Rawls, is bespectacled and slight of stature. But he’s a giant in the field of global ethics, and one of only a small handful of philosophers who have managed to translate prominence wit..
APA Issues Letter on Sexual Harassment
The Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) has published an open letter on sexual harassment. It is addressed ” first and foremost to victims of sexual harassment within the profession of philosophy, and secondly, to all members of the APA.”
We are committed, both personally and as the primary governing body of the association, to comba..
More on the Recent Anonymous Sexual Harassment and Assault Accusations
In September of 2011, the Yale Daily News published an article that detailed two stories of sexual misconduct at Yale. Now, a woman who says she is the victim in “Case 2” in that article has claimed to be the person initiating the lawsuit mentioned in the anonymous blog post, “The Moral Philosopher and His International Affairs” (previously), and has started a site ..
Chang on Sexual Harassment in Philosophy
Ruth Chang (Rutgers) is interviewed at 3am Magazine. Apart from a good discussion of her work on incomparability, the interview also includes some thoughts from Chang on sexual harassment in philosophy. Here’s one excerpt:
It’s not that we have to blog about it or call up the victim, whomever we might believe him/her to be, but even casual remarks to colleagues in a ..
Reporting of Sexual Assault and Harassment in Philosophy (updated)
I recently saw a post on social media comparing the current deluge of accusations of sexual harassment and assault being made and taken seriously in entertainment, news media, and politics, with how little of that seems to be happening in philosophy. (more…)
Lecturer Fired Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations
A lecturer who taught philosophy-related courses at Tembusu College, which is a part of the National University of Singapore (NUS), was fired by the university following an investigation of two allegations against him of sexual misconduct. (more…)
Disbelief, Inaction, and the Persistence of Harassment and Assault
Helen Beebee (Manchester) and Heather Widdows (Birmingham) have co-authored an essay at IAI, “Weinstein, Westminster, and Philosophy: Structures of Abuse,” on the recent spate of accounts of sexual harassment and assault. (more…)
Harassment and ‘Splaining at the American Society for Aesthetics
The American Society for Aesthetics (ASA) recently convened in New Orleans for its 75th Annual Meeting. In its wake, the art and philosophy blog Aesthetics for Birds has published a pair of posts (one from A.W. Eaton and another from Paul C. Taylor) complaining about sexual harassment and the treatment of attendees from traditionally underrepresented groups there, a..
Should You Continue To Teach The Work of Sexual Harassers?
Thomas Pogge, whose alleged extracurricular activities, including sexual harassment, have been the subject of numerous posts here, is having his own place in the curriculum questioned. Pogge retains, for now, a prestigious named professorship at Yale. An article at Inside Higher Ed this morning discusses whether professors who believe he has acted at least problemat..
APA Statement on Bullying and Harassment (Update: Coverage from IHE)
The American Philosophical Association (APA) has released a statement on bullying and harassment:
The American Philosophical Association appreciates the work of philosophers who bring their philosophical expertise to the public by way of op-ed essays, public forums, teach-ins, and other venues. We see this increased public engagement by philosophers as important ..
Details About An Alleged “Sexual Exploiter”
Last week we discussed whether some anonymous accusations of sexual impropriety against a prominent philosopher were mere gossip or rather were issues for the profession to deal with. Someone claiming to be the same author has now elaborated on the allegations, providing not just details on claims made previously, but also new accusations regarding sexual violence a..
The Oxford Case and University Responses to Harassment
Times Higher Education has published “Let’s Discuss The Way We Live Now,” an essay by Luke Brunning, a DPhil student in philosophy at Oxford, on the importance of universities taking students’ perspectives seriously in the aftermath of allegations of harassment or sexual misconduct by faculty.
Guess Which Philosopher Got Booted From Twitter/X (Multiple Updates)
A philosopher recently got banned from Twitter/X. Can you guess who it is?
Here’s a hint: just remember that Twitter/X is currently our best known approximation of Bizarro World. (more…)
Philosophy News Summary
During the summer slow-down, many news items will be consolidated in occasional “philosophy news” summary posts. This is the first. (more…)
Mini-Heap
New links… (more…)
Altman Wins Journal of Applied Philosophy Best Essay Prize
The Journal of Applied Philosophy has awarded its 2022 Best Essay Prize to Scott Altman (USC). (more…)
Do Something! Reflections on MeToo and Philosophy (guest post) (updated)
When several years ago I posted the screenshot of a defamatory tweet by a serial harasser on my Facebook page (for “friends” only), I did not expect how people would react to this. Tenured philosophers, including many with left-wing or liberal politics cautioned me to take down the post. They private messaged me urging I should take it down, and even publicly chided..
Gender in Philosophy Hiring
When it comes to finding a permanent academic position in philosophy, “women have 58–114 percent greater odds than men, or a probability difference of 10–17 percent.” (more…)