race
TagU.S. Philosophy PhDs: Still Overwhelmingly White
How has the racial and ethnic composition of philosophy PhDs in the US changed over the past decade or so? (more…)
Why a Philosopher’s Racist Email from 26 Years Ago is News Today
Influential Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom, well-known for his work on philosophical questions related to ethics, the future, and technology (existential risk, artificial intelligence, simulation), posted an apology for a blatantly racist email he sent to a listserv 26 years ago. (more…)
New Editorial Team at Philosophia (updated)
In the wake of controversies over Philosophia‘s publishing of articles on “Jewish Influence” (see here), its editor’s decisions regarding referees (see here), and its editorial processes (see here), the journal will soon have a new editor. (more…)
The Philosophy Major Continues to Recover and Diversify in the U.S. (guest post)
The number of college students graduating with degrees in philosophy continues to increase, as does the gender and racial diversity of this group. (more…)
Intergroup Dialogue in the Philosophy Classroom (guest post)
“Over 70% of our students… reported being more likely than before to listen to someone who held an opposing viewpoint…” (more…)
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…)
SDSU Reassigns Philosophy Professor for Mentioning Racial Epithets in Courses on Racism, Critical Thinking
The administration of San Diego State University has stripped J. Angelo Corlett, professor of philosophy, of his critical thinking course and his course on race and racism this semester, following lessons in those courses in which he provided examples of racial epithets. (more…)
Philosophy Journal Hosts Debate on “Jewish Influence” (updates: Article Retracted; Journal Gets New Editor)
Have Jews insinuated themselves into positions of power and influence in politics and culture because they are innately gifted with higher IQs, or is it also because they are ethnocentric and hypocritical networkers good at using non-Jews in their self-serving mission of “transforming America contrary to white interests”? Race science and/or conspiracy theory? This-..
bell hooks (1952-2021) and the Canon
Gloria Jean Watkins, the writer better known as bell hooks, died earlier this week. (more…)
Peter Singer On His New Yorker Interview
In a recent interview in The New Yorker, Daniel Gross asked philosopher Peter Singer (Princeton) a question about race and who he chooses to cite and engage with in his work. (more…)
The Leaky Pipeline into Academic Philosophy for Black Students in the U.S. (guest post)
In the following guest post*, Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) shares data he and other philosophers have collected on the percentages of philosophy students and degree holders in the U.S. who are black, in an attempt to understand the causes of the relative lack of black philosophers in the country. (more…)
The Race and Gender of U.S. Philosophy PhDs: Trends Since 1973 (guest post)
The following is a guest post* by Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) on trends in the race and gender of people earning Ph.D.s in philosophy in the United States over the past 47 years. (more…)
Black Students Are Increasingly Interested in Philosophy (guest post)
“Over the past several years, Black students have become increasingly interested in philosophy, both upon entering their first year of undergraduate study and upon completing the major.” (more…)
Edinburgh’s Philosophers on the Renaming of Hume Tower
Seven philosophers at the University of Edinburgh have written individual responses to the university’s interim decision to rename Hume Tower. (more…)
Lower-Level Course Materials on Race, Racism, and Protests
Philosophy professors who will be teaching courses like “Contemporary Moral Problems” this fall may be interested in adding a unit on race, racism, protests, and related issues that have been at the forefront of the public’s attention recently. (more…)
Controversy at Philosophical Psychology Leads to Editor’s Resignation
In December 2019, the journal Philosophical Psychology published an article calling for scholars to take more seriously genetics-based approaches to research on race and intelligence. Yesterday, an editor of the journal announced his resignation. What happened? (more…)
MAP Issues Statement on Anti-Black Racism and Philosophy
Minorities and Philosophy (MAP), a global graduate student-led network of organizations that aim to “remove barriers to participation in philosophy for members of marginalized groups,” has issued a statement in light of the recent wave of anti-racism protests. (more…)
Curry on George Floyd and the “Fake Outrage” of Academic Philosophy
“The fake outrage of academic philosophy amazes me.” (more…)
Countenancing Segregation Based on Imaginary Science (guest post)
“Papers like this should be left ignored, and certainly not mistaken for brave declarations of inconvenient truths.” (more…)
Scholars Object to Publication of Paper Defending Race Science
Scholars are objecting to the decision of the editors of the journal, Philosophical Psychology, to publish an article that calls for “free inquiry” into possible inherited genetic bases of group differences on IQ tests. (more…)
Graduate Students on Diversity and Inclusivity in Philosophy (guest post by Carolyn Dicey Jennings)
The following is a guest post* by Carolyn Dicey Jennings, associate professor of philosophy and cognitive science at University of California, Merced, and creator of Academic Placement Data and Analysis (APDA). (more…)
Flourishing with Controversy: How Philosophy of Race Does It
One of the popular narratives about higher education is that the discussion of and disagreement over controversial ideas is imperiled, owing to the dominance of political correctness on college campuses. (more…)
UGA Philosophy Grad Student Cleared of Misconduct Charges
The University of Georgia (UGA) has determined that Irami Osei-Frimpong, a philosophy graduate student and teaching assistant at the school, did not violate the school’s code of conduct.
Addressing Philosophy Departments’ Lack of Diversity
The Demographics in Philosophy project will be holding a session at the upcoming Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA) in Vancouver. (more…)
Curry from Texas A&M to Edinburgh
Tommy Curry, currently professor of philosophy at Texas A&M University, has accepted a position as professor of Africana philosophy and black-male studies at the University of Edinburgh. (more…)
UGA “Vigorously Exploring All Available Legal Options” It Can Take Against Philosophy Grad Student
A University of Georgia (UGA) alumnus’s expression of bafflement at his alma mater’s failure to condemn remarks made by a philosophy graduate student at the school and his call for other alumni to withhold donations has apparently prompted the university to consider action against the graduate student. (more…)
Philosopher Named Editor of Novel Book Series on Black Male Studies
Tommy Curry, professor of philosophy and Africana studies at Texas A&M University, has been named editor of the first-ever university press book series focused on black and racialized males. (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…)