“Significant” Women Philosophers
Charles Murray (American Enterprise Institute), speaking at the University of Texas yesterday, reiterates that “he had found no ‘evidence’ to prove that any woman had been a ‘significant original thinker in any of the world’s great philosophical traditions.'” Story here. Gifs of people facepalming themselves here. I wonder what he thinks we would learn from such a claim, were it true.
UPDATE (4/10/2014): Slate picks up the story, including video footage.
Speaking in my office today, I found no evidence to prove that Charles Murray has been a significant original thinker.
unoriginally 😉 : what Kate said.
Rebecca Kukla is always reminding me of the comment by de sade to the effect that some claims should not be engaged with in language, but that the speakers simply should have shit hurled at them in the public square. This must be such a case: were one to start listing significant original female philosophers, one would be somehow doing something indecent, treating this as worth more than it is by merely engaging with it. (Which is, of course, just making explicit the principle behind Justin’s face palm, and Kate(y)’s joke.)
Agree with Mark. Let’s shit-up and go meet in the agora.
While the Kukla and Lance’s of the profession gather their shit to throw on people they meet in the agora, others are doing their level best to have a forthright and reasonable discussion about these issues:
http://darknessvisibleblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/the-widenening-gyre-of-political-correctness/
I trust that time will tell whether the shit-slinging approach was meritorious, but I, not knowing enough about these issues to settle them myself, and wanting to do my best to make sense of them, would appreciate having people like Kukla and Lance bring their expertise to bear on these debates.
(I’m off to hide away so as to avoid the onslaught of shit-slinging I worry is coming our way.)