discrimination
TagSex Discrimination in a Philosophy Job Search at BGSU (guest post)
Last week we reported on how Christian Coons, associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), is facing disciplinary proceedings that may lead to his termination from the university (here). This development has its origins in Coons’s complaints about irregularities in a job search conducted by the Department of Philosophy during the 2015-..
Implicit Attitudes, Science, and Philosophy (guest post)
“Philosophers, including myself, have for decades been too credulous about science, being misled by scientists’ marketing and ignoring the unavoidable uncertainties that affect the scientific process…” (more…)
Shawnee State Settles with Philosophy Professor Who Refused To Use Student’s Preferred Pronouns
After Shawnee State University philosophy professor Nicholas Meriwether refused, in 2018, to address a student by their preferred pronouns (see previous post), the university placed a warning in his file saying he violated the school’s nondiscrimination policy. (more…)
How What It Is Like to Be a Woman in Philosophy has Changed over the Past Decade
How have things changed for women in philosophy over the past decade? (more…)
Philosophy Prof’s Lawsuit Against University On Addressing Trans Students Reinstated
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has reversed an earlier dismissal of a philosophy professor’s lawsuit against his employer, Shawnee State University, for violating his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Philosopher Launches Anti-Trans Website; Colleagues & Others Object
Holly Lawford-Smith, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Melbourne, has created a website that solicits and publishes anonymous complaints about the presence of trans women in typically women-only spaces. (more…)
The Professional Status of “Pro-Life” Positions on Abortion
Should junior job seekers try to avoid outing themselves as “pro-life”? (more…)
Supreme Court Rules Civil Rights Law Protects LGBT Workers, Echoing Philosophers’ Brief
The United States Supreme Court issued a ruling this morning in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination. (more…)
Free Speech at Oxford (updated with an important correction)
Flying around social media yesterday were cheers that Oxford University had issued a “Statement on the Importance of Free Speech” in response to a motion from the Oxford Student Union allegedly to “ban ‘ableist, classist and misogynist’ reading lists”. (more…)
Anti-Trans Discrimination in Philosophy of Religion: An Accusation & Possible Progress (Updated)
A professor of philosophy says she was told by the organizer of a conference on theology and philosophy of religion that he would not consider papers from her for conferences like that because she is transgender. (more…)
Philosophers File Amicus Brief on LGBT Discrimination Cases
This fall, the Supreme Court will be looking at a trio of cases concerning the protection Federal employment discrimination law provides to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. An amicus curiae brief signed by 80 philosophers, in support of the employees in the cases, has just been filed. (more…)
Human Rights Tribunal: Queen’s University’s Handling of Philosopher’s Case “Egregious”
A dispute that began in 2008 with Adèle Mercier, associate professor of philosophy at Queen’s University, along with two other colleagues, filing complaints of gender discrimination in her department on behalf of students, and that came to be about the way the university treated Mercier in response (previously), has just been partially resolved, with the Ontario Hum..
Political Hostility and Willingness to Discriminate in Philosophy
A new study of nearly 800 academic philosophers provides support for several claims about their political views, perceptions of politics-based hostility, and willingness to engage in politics-based discrimination. (more…)
It’s Complicated
I’ve been criticized for saying that the issue behind the attempt of some students at Oxford to stop having John Finnis teach required courses* is “morally and practically complicated.” How strong a criticism is this? (more…)
The Denigration of Black Women Philosophers and “Fields People of Color Specialize In”
Anita L. Allen, the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law, professor of philosophy, and vice provost of faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, and the next president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, speaks about her experiences as a black woman philosopher in an interview in The New York Times. (more…)
Discriminatory Texas Law Prompts Philosophers To Move Conference
The Public Philosophy Network (PPN) was planning on holding its annual conference next February at the University of North Texas (UNT). It will now, instead, be held in Boulder, Colorado. (more…)
Systematic Discrimination in Peer Review: Some Reflections (guest post by by Kyle Powys Whyte)
“As these issues of peer review and editorial review continue to arise every year, I hope people increasingly address the systematic problems—taking into consideration the ongoing history of discrimination and the thorough reforms that need to take place in the world of academic publication.”
The following is a guest post* by Kyle Powys Whyte, Timnick Chair in ..
Prestige Bias in Philosophy
In this paper, I argue that prestige bias is both the first and the final hurdle to make academic philosophy more inclusive…. Prestige bias is a first hurdle to diversity, because countering it provides a wide-reaching way to make philosophy more diverse even if we did not increase our efforts to increase diversity specifically. By actively working against presti..
Philosophy Professor Sues College for Retaliation (updated)
Lauren Barthold, associate professor of philosophy at Gordon College, a Christian liberal arts college in Massachusetts, has filed a lawsuit against the college for retaliating against her for her public statements (such as a letter to the editor of a newspaper) disagreeing with college president Michael Lindsay over whether federal contractors, on the basis of reli..
Mistaking Criticism for Discrimination (Ought Experiment)
Welcome back to Ought Experiment! This week’s question is a sensitive one, indeed. A professor writes that s/he’s struggling to reach a grad student who apparently interprets any criticism of her work as evidence of gender discrimination:
Dear Louie,
I’m hoping you can help me with a tricky teaching situation. There’s a student in my department who has, in the..
Goswami Lawsuit Against DePaul to Proceed
Namita Goswami was denied tenure in the Department of Philosophy at DePaul University in the 2009-2010 academic year. She claimed that discrimination played a role in the decision and sued. Her story was covered a few years back in Inside Higher Ed:
“I was teaching exactly what I was hired to do and it was used against me,” said Goswami, a native of India who all..
Dan Kaufman’s Lawsuit Against CU-Boulder is Filed
After filing four notices of claim last August, Dan Kaufman has now officially filed his lawsuit against CU-Boulder, “alleging the school both discriminated and retaliated against him because he has a disability.”
From an article in the Daily Camera:
Kaufman alleges that by kicking him off campus and taking other actions against him, CU violated his rights und..
New Site for Discussions of Discrimination & Disadvantage
Discrimination and Disadvantage is a new blog developed by Thomas Nadelhoffer (College of Charleston) and Kevin Timpe (Northwest Nazarene U.) for discussions about the philosophy of discrimination and disadvantage, as well as of discrimination and disadvantage in the philosophy profession. As they put it in their mission statement,
In recent years, philosophers h..