This column is a step backwards for The Stone. There is no place in Philosophy for this weepy, self righteous discourse of victimization.
8
A few of my own observations and opinions on race.
1) I’ve heard whites utter the term ‘monkey’ to describe people of color far more often than the legendary ‘n-word.’
2) I believe we African-Americans are making a grave mistake by censoring the free speech of whites when it comes to the race issue. We should allow whites to freely utter their racist terms for us. However, we should legally pounce on their discriminatory conduct because conduct is a more reliable indicator of discriminatory intent than speech. Whites are very angry and defensive about the censoring they face on the race issue. This is the main reason most whites refuse to discuss race. We cannot solve the problem of race if whites will not talk about it. This censorship of their speech has prompted whites to develop sneaky ways to punish people of color they dislike, such as terminating the office friends of a disliked minority underling. The human race loses when this type of retaliatory conduct occurs.
3) Racism still exists.
4) Racism can be significantly reduced by addressing our wealth and income inequality issue because people of color disproportionately represent the victims of this phenomenon.
5) We may not be able to quickly reduce or eliminate the racism that is caused by our respective cultures.
6) The New York Times is doing us all a great public service by thoroughly covering the race issue because it is my experience that most whites will not entertain the topic at all today.
2
As if, aside from Philosophy 101, many people, no matter what make or model, go into the field, let alone know anything about it! This is a non issue, except in the New York Times!!!
2
It seems that no matter how successful black women become, they find a way to play the victim card. Striving for success is hard for everyone. If you don't want to compete, stay home. What happens when someone that's black and female is treated harshly by another black female? Can the black female use the victim card then? By the way, I'm a big black guy. you can only use the black woman card and not the racist card with me.
6
Angela Davis is an interesting person to bring up now that gun control is such a trendy thing. What would happen to a university professor today who straw purchased weapons and gave them to a group so they could take over a court room and hold a bunch of people hostage?
7
Is it enough to acknowledge sexual harassment of the sort she experienced with the colleague from Harvard who wanted input on an article without taking steps to make certain this kind of behavior will not happen again and is intolerable? What kind of an example does she want to set for younger women in philosophy, what kind of protection does acknowledgment offer ?
1
Does not philosophy address supposedly address universal phenomena and experiences? I don’t see that in this essay.
18
Isn't the 'promise' of the title suggesting that that supposed universality might not be achieved except through perspectival inclusivity? While philosophy theoretically aspires to a universal 'we', practically it has mostly spoken from a very small, very uniform slice of human experience (microscopically small in the anglo-american tradition). The hope is that maybe the ideal can finally start to be better realized now that the field is subjecting itself to traditionally disregarded viewpoints. Maybe these previously marginalized views will even be able to notice and point out traditional philosophy's blind spots.
3
Thank you, Dr. Yancy and Dr. Allen.
8
Is it too much to ask why a black woman philosopher cannot be interviewed by another black female academic?
Certainly the questions would have been more pointed and more pertinent.
6
The sociology of academic philosophy is worth knowing, but I'd really like to read an interview that focuses on Professor Allen's many important ideas and scholarly contributions.
7
The black women I have known throughout my working life (and I’ve done a lot of jobs), were greater philosophers and more astute moral guides than anyone, from Plato to Kant to Wittgenstein, that I ever found in a book. I only exclude Camus, because he shared their wise realization that people do good things just because they are good.
5
Philo-sophy, the love of wisdom, is what matters to us as humans, first and foremost. To seek black philosophy, or for that matter, Islamic philosophy, Native Indian philosphy, etc is to misunderstand the order about what is of supreme value. It is only after we have understood ourselves as lovers of wisdom that all humans seek or can or should seek that we become philosophers. And while one can explore its tangents into race, religion, class and caste, these are secondary pursuits. I feel the black community will do better by leaning first what philosophy has to offer us human species -- itself a grand job.
3
To make the claims you're making is to exclude multiple viewpoints about what's important and of value.
13
Bias, prejudice, are ever present dangers. It's part and parcel of the American way. Without bias or prejudice, white males would not dominate most lines of endeavor. Plato's Republic finds the "artist" to be an undesirable citizen because he, Plato, conceived of the artist as being one who copies nature, thereby, leading one away from truth and beauty. His concept of the artist was limited to his experience.
Bias, prejudice are not based on experience but on man created situations. The white male power structure creates the standards. The standards they created are intended to be exclusive not inclusive. If by some means those who were intended to be excluded manage to get pass the standards guarding the entrance, those in power use internal standards to further attempt to weed-out undesirables. When professional requirements fail to halt the intruder, then they resort to bulling, name-calling, and negative epithets. There is no level to which those in power will not stoop to maintain themselves in power and control.
4
Good grief! One might hope that Philosophy would be one area free from all of this whining victimization.
33
Good grief. One might hope that Philosophy might be one place free of white male heterosexual bigotry, condescension, harassment, and victim-shaming. Alas, no. Nor, apparently, is The NY Times Comments section.
9
"She is the first African-American woman to hold both a Ph.D in philosophy and a law degree. " How does anyone know this, and why would anyone want to know it?
29
Wow, some of the comments here are so unnecessarily nasty.
For men--especially white men--who see themselves over-represented all of the time (in history books, in our government, in higher education, etc), maybe it's hard for them to understand that young black girls might find her inspiring.
17
Because to most readers the race, gender, age and sexual proclivities of the author or actor are the most important factors involved.
We must celebrate race, gender, age and sexual proclivities as central to all narratives.
To many readers, politics reigns and has spread to all aspects of culture. If the “second coming” occurred tomorrow, and Jesus turned out to be a white male - he’d be castigated as racist, misogynist, and otherwise found wanting.
8
Because this is a NYT article and an installment of The Stone.
3
There are many costs for the black spot beyond human talent.
1
I once taught for 3 years in an HBCU in South Carolina. It was the most sexist higher education institution I've ever experienced and witnessed.
11
The failed (for Liberals, not his detractors) presidency of Barak Obama is the best example that the claims for special merit of, "first Black whatever" is a canard. I was teary-eyed when Obama was elected, and what became of the special traits he supposedly brought to the job? Nothing whatsoever, he turned out to one more neoliberal. We care about our minority fellows as people, that some first one reaches some supposed height is just a white liberal talking point.
I'm done caring much about first black this, first lesbian that. It's the stuff of really poor issue discernment and in the end where the rubber meets the road it's empty identity politics.
26
I think everybody should be able to follow their dream, so obviously no black woman should be discriminated against in philosophy because they are black or a woman. But, if there is a dearth of black women in philosophy, is that a problem that requires solution? Maybe they are smart enough to know that there's no money in it.
Prof. Yancy recounts how black women undergraduates are discouraged from majoring in philosophy because "the field doesn’t speak to their philosophical passions" and they can't "see themselves mirrored" in it. "[A]nd yet I want them to pursue philosophy." Why? How is he doing them any favors? There are plenty of undergraduates whose philosophical passions begin and end with the existentialists: would a major in philsophy necessarily be a wise choice for them?
As Dr. Allen says, "it has proven really hard for undergrads to see why Plato’s allegory of the cave, or Leibniz’s windowless monads or even Rawls’s theory of liberal justice matter enough to make philosophy their majors or life’s work." Yes, indeed. Many such students gravitate toward sociology, politics, or other fields because they resonate more with them. Philosophers are a self-selecting group.
19
Ms. Allen is certainly justified in taking offense at her treatment in the examples she details here, but I would point out that she is extremely lucky to have a tenured position, particularly as our university system is in precipitous decline. Some colleges & universities have done away with philosophy departments altogether! The adjunct system, which is a form of professional serfdom for would-be college professors, has been well documented, so Ms. Allen should consider herself extremely fortunate. It also should be pointed out that federal & state funding for higher education has also dropped precipitously. Another comment points out that Ms. Allen seems to be only interested in philosophy from a black perspective. This narrow focus might account for reduced interest in philosophy from students & reluctance of politicians to fund universities in general.
22
I am not impressed either with Dr. Allen's airing of a personal dispute with another philosopher in this forum or her advocacy of a particular area of philosophy rather than philosophy as a whole. She clearly has a history of personal antagonism with this man and I don't know what can be concluded about discrimination. And I think that the president of the APA Eastern Division should be dedicated to the furtherance of the discipline of philosophy, not limited to, but including, Plato, Leibniz, and Rawls. She signals quite a different agenda in this interview.
25
Interesting to hear that you are not impressed with her sharing the story about the email exchange she had with her colleague. I am very impressed by it. If you truly cannot see "what can be concluded about discrimination" from this anecdote I would suggest you strive a little harder to follow what she and the many other women sharing stories like this are telling you.
10
"I have known a white woman philosopher who used a wheelchair".
This is the most explicitly biased opinion against handicapped people I've ever read.
17
Dear Prof. Allen,
The senior, Harvard-educated white male philosopher who denigrated you by email has essentially given you ultimate power over his career and reputation. It is understandable if you want to distance yourself and avoid the aggravation. However, many people who otherwise would have taken action mistakenly believe that emails aren't enough evidence and the sender can always deny they wrote what they wrote that that would be that. This is NOT the case--emails are traceable, and both the content and the origin can be verified at both ends by the sender's and the recipient's email service providers, especially if you leave a copy on the server when you check your email (instead of download email and then delete the server copy automatically--this is adjustable in your email settings). Many abusers' and harassers' heads have rolled recently thanks to email records. Maybe I'm too impulsive, but I'd have forwarded the masturbation email to this guy's department chair, a few deans, and a local and national newspaper for good measure. It's not defamation if it's the truth and it sounds like you can prove it.
20
Is the NY Times going to go industry by industry, ethnicity and gender by ethnicity and gender, and sexual preference by sexual preferences to uncover each and every single challenge to specific individuals or small groups in the entire world?
Please clearly note that I'm not in any way trying to diminish the seriousness of the issues or the accomplishments of the people involved. It's just that every single day the NY Times continues to pile on the politics of identity so there is no "we" left in its pages.
I'm numb to it. And I think the word "survivors" is more often reserved for those who lived through cancer or the Holocaust, not necessarily those who failed to achieve tenure. Perspective.
41
I disagree. I welcome hearing the stories and perspectives and challenges of various people, including those (especially those) who are different from me in gender, race, orientation, etc. It's how we learn.
14
Great piece. I am a Philosophy major and although I am just starting at the baseline it's interesting to hear about this sector of Academia and what non-white male's should consider before entering it, or to know what goes on inside.
I hope to go into law and so this has covered a lot of territory; specifically a person I can look up to.
8
This piece is an eye-opener for shining a light on a corner of academia I never knew existed (I mean the plight of black women in philosophy). However, Professor Yancy's questions avoid what are perhaps the essential ones: How has Anita Allen's experience as a black female intellectual in a field overwhelmingly white and male shaped her thinking as a philosopher? Who among the great thinkers, both men and women, have been most formative in her thinking? In what direction would she like to help steer the discipline of current philosophy? it seems to me that in avoiding any inquiry into his subject's intellectual calling, Mr. Yancy has opened himself to the charge that he, like other distinguished men in Prof. Allen's past, is less interested in her contribution to her chosen field than she deserves.
8
I calculate that I'm about a generation older than Dr. Allen. When I was in graduate school, for reasons that turned out to be more luck than skill, it turned out that my dissertation advisor had shielded me from the kinds of wildly malevolent sexism Dr. Allen encountered and continues to encounter. I was very fortunate in that. I grieve that 30 years later this horror is still taking place. I'm sorry.
16
It seems that Dr Allen had problem of being a woman and being a woman of color. I can’t imagine that her philosophy professor would tell her that she looked his maid. Also I was horrified to learn what the Harvard educated colleague wrote to her! But wait, I shouldn’t be, as our glorious leader went to Penn where Dr Allen is a senior administrator and professor.
I am of Indian origin and was looking for faculty position in early 1970s, and I had tough time. But the situation has changed. Harvard Business School and Harvard College have people from India. And there are more.
However, I am concerned that there a concerted effort to turn the clock back. There is an effort to bring back white supremacy in a misogynist environment. We must be vigilant.
6
Nobody is discouraging black women from studying philosophy. I majored in philosophy, which by its very nature is about unbiased, objective reasoning. The two criteria for success are your ability to understand the works of past writers, and more importantly, to make good arguments. If you can make solid, logically sound arguments, you will succeed and be respected, no matter who you are. It is never about the person making the argument, it is always about the argument itself, which is why I repsect philosophy so much. In that sense it's one of the most open, democratic fields around, as everybody's ideas will be given a fair hearing and put to the test.
But the implication here seems to be that blacks won't enter the field unless philosophy becomes all about black people. When Ms. Allen states "Most contemporary African-American philosophers write about topics directly related to race or other aspects of the African-American experience," I find this disheartening. It would be like if all female doctors were only gynecologists. The goal of philosophy is actualy the opposite - to expand your mind and learn how to think critically, to release your personal baggage, intuitions and long-held assumptions and search for true objectivity, to make water tight arguments that are independent of your personal biases. Focusing entirely on the ethnic group that one personally belongs to goes against the philosophical tradition. We have other fields of study for that purpose.
44
"That Black's". lovely.
I don't know what I just read. Mostly, "I has opinion".
For someone who respects Philosophy it doesn't seem much logic was put into that reply.
4
"Nobody is discouraging black women from studying philosophy. I majored in philosophy"
Has it occurred to you that, as a non-black-woman, that you might not know what their individual experiences are?
This kind of arrogance that is so off-putting.
11
It appears that you are have a naive, albeit idealistic, view of the reality of academia. Philosophy may be about “unbiased objective reasoning,” where “it is never about the person making the argument, it is always about the argument itself,” but Philosophers have actually been known to be overly emotional, petty, hysterical tyrants, who do judge on the basis of flattery and toadying, and are dismissive of any criticism. I believe that your premise, “...that blacks won’t enter the field unless philosophy becomes all about black people,” is faulty. That is not my interpretation of what Dr. Allen said. Your comment that you are “disheartened” that “most contemporary African-American philosophy write about topics directly related to race or to other aspects of the African-American experience” could imply that the African-American experience has nothing to contribute to universal philosophical concepts and the expansion of the mind. Would you say that Plato’s Symposium is merely a limited expression of the privileged upper-class Greek male and has nothing to teach anyone else? Perhaps you could open your mind to the breadth of experiences other than your own, and share in their wisdom. For, Sophists aside, is not the goal of a reasoned argument to open one’s eyes to the depths of the human experience?
8
Academia is so insulated. It's an easy place for tribalism to take hold. Once 51% of the department is (put in any descriptive noun) white, atheist, male, that's who will rise to the top in the department. Academia is the last place this should be true, but good luck trying to get tenure if you don't look, sound, believe like the people making the decisions.
10
Do you say that on the basis of any actual evidence or observation? My own impression is that what you say is true with regard to orientations in philosophy such as analytic or continental, but I see that major departments have hired lots of women in recent decades.
2
"For example, they want to read more about black feminist philosophy and be able to see themselves mirrored in what is still a predominantly white and male profession."
We are not helping young people (of any gender/color) by legitimizing this idea that one has to be "mirrored" in order to pursue a particular field.
40
Yet white men are mirrored back to them in history, philosophy, science, etc, etc.
I remember as a young white girl flipping through my textbooks and seeing a bunch of bearded dead white guys.
If you're a white guy, you've been mirrored so much you take it for granted. That, my friend, is how privilege works.
14
Interesting interview--more sophist than Socratic and more Marx than Hegel. That is, it reads like a prosecutor-leading-the-witness polemic.
What was lost here is that teaching about philosophy is an institutional, administrative thing, while being a philosopher or poet is always about risking the wrath of the collective -- Nietzsche and Dante come immediately to mind. Like expecting great literature to come out of a university lit. department, I suppose.
Well, at least the collective can check that box off.
12
Over 30 years ago, when I walked into the office of the chair of the philosophy department at my alma mater it was clear from his treatment of me that to him, the idea of a black female philosopher was at the very least oxymoronic, and at best a bad joke. While I left the office knowing that I would not be accepted as a major in that department, I never have given up my first love.
As for Professor Yancy's undergraduate students' desire “to read more about black feminist philosophy and be able to see themselves mirrored in what is still a predominantly white and male profession”, I echo the advice and wisdom that Professor Allen would pass along to her own daughter. I would add, however, that 1) undergraduate education is not a mirror, but a door; 2) no person in any profession gets to specialize – whether at Wimbledon or in the surgical theater -- without a thorough exposure to, and mastery of the basics (even if those are handed down from dead old white men); and 3) instruct them that it is incumbent upon THEM – not the discipline -- to shape their projects to reflect their interests. Finally, I would remind them of the wisdom of Anna Julia Cooper, that when and wherever they enter, the whole race enters with them.
27
The study of Philosophy is hollow unless it is appropriately egalitarian. It’s about time that a broader scope of perspectives was brought to this particular academic field.
9
Are we moving toward “this broader scope of perspectives?” Many on college campuses have narrowed the perspectives by excluding conservative white males and favoring perspectives based on the race, gender, etc. of the thinker. I for one don’t believe ideas are infused with and made truer by the race or gender of the philosopher. And I fully acknowledge that women and nonwhites in the past never had a chance in philosophy because they were dismissed out of hand. The challenge is to establish rational discourse among competing thinkers.
"Put the burden on philosophy to make the case for us, rather than always assuming it’s our job to prove we are worthy of philosophy."
[ Perfect, just perfect. ]
12
"Put the burden on philosophy to make the case for us, rather than always assuming it’s our job to prove we are worthy of philosophy." This could also be said of art history and I sure of other humanistic disciplines.
4
Also in the sciences. It shocked me to the core of my belief in science when a physics professor told me women who get As on physics exams can't "really understand" physics, we can only ace our exams through rote learning. That was like a refutation of the meritocracy, like women can't be trusted around the meritocracy because we have supernatural powers for cheating on exams.
And that damaged the whole field of physics in my eyes. How can there be a meritocracy of ideas, when a meritocracy of people seems beyond so many men in the field?
Yet we're expected to prove ourselves worthy, to men who celebrate their unworthiness without realizing that's what it is. Prove your field is worthy of women. Prove that your whole system of values won't collapse on top of us when you experience competition from someone not in your white man club.
19
"white man club" -- Is that meant to be pejorative? Or, by any chance, are you talkin' Newton, Einstein, Fermi, and Feynman, or, perhaps, the Western European intellectual tradition as a "whole system of values"?
1
Einstein had a huge #MeToo problem. He and his first wife were students in physics together. Her story is that he harassed her until he wore her down mentally and she dated him. He complained that women who did science were "cold fish" -- meaning not receptive to his legendarily profligate offers of sexual attention.
Newton lived apart from women almost entirely, but he doesn't seem to have been misogynist. His confidant when he was head of the Royal Mint was Queen Caroline, who'd been tutored by Leibniz in philosophy and the calculus.
Feynman I knew personally when I was a grad student at Caltech. Never heard a disparaging word from him. Women did not freak him out at all, like we freaked out so many of the men who shared the Caltech faculty with him. There's a good reason why people love him so much. He truly lived up to the ideals of the field.
1
Philosophers are basically no different than anyone else.
They like the rest of us have basically one right, the right to become wise through self effort.
Plato and Buddha made a lot of progress in my view, for example. And there is good reason to study them and others.
And I wish Clancy and Allen well in their efforts, like I would anyone.
We all need a lot of hard work, mentoring from a few truly wise souls, some discernment and perhaps even some luck to achieve something noble.
Few of us are equal to the true geniuses of the past, but we can do our best to gain and share our insights. Good luck to all in the endeavor.
1
Just this weekend, I was listening to Philosophy Talk on NPR. I love it, but am always aware that it's primarily two men talking (who are assumed to be objective due to their maleness and I think they're both white, too?) And I was thinking that I wish they brought up the exact same topics, but had two women discussing the topic. This wouldn't be instead of, but addition to, the current show with two men. I'd be curious to hear where the two men took the discussion versus the two women. I don't think one would be better or worse, just different and I think it'd be really interesting. And, yes, would be cool if it were philosophers who were both black women.
10
Correcting myself: Philosophy Talk has two male hosts. One white and one African-American.
1
Look again at the hosts of Philosophy Talk, for what it's worth. https://www.philosophytalk.org/team
I am not a philosopher. I wish I was. I have high regard for learning and understanding. It was a shock to read how within the ranks of philosophers there is such bigotry.
I am aware of feminist philosophy, which I think can be generalized to people who are marginalized. Is there something there to understand as how the marginalized of any sort of race or gender understand things? In the US black and female are obvious. But could it be there is a cohort of white( I am thinking of Trump base) that could be included, and why it would be in their best interest to listen to the Black philosophers and the feminist philosophers?
Any way, I am going to look up what I can about black philosophers. And I am pleased to have had this article to read.
11
As a postmodern philosopher and member of the Canadian Philosophical Association, I can say, that one of the main issues that this association tries to address, is the lack of diversity in the philosophy departments found here in Canada.
It should be noted that this problem of diversity is not just confined to the American or Canadian university campus. It is a problem found throughout the Western world.
In Canada, a program has been developed over the years by the association that shows how department heads can incorporate a diversity program into their hiring process.
Many with tenure in these Western philosophy departments may see such programs as being ideologically driven, with a stealth like agenda to change philosophy. But this line of questioning, is in my opinion, just a canard.
Anything that can be done to broaden the appeal of philosophy to those who have been historically shunted aside should be welcome.
Because, in my opinion, the survival of philosophy as a major area of academic learning, is directly corelated with the ability to attract people from all ethnic/gender backgrounds to see philosophy as a vital and important part of their academic and daily lives.
8
I was lucky enough to experience the Adrian Piper exhibit currently at the MOMA in NYC, which vividly traces her life experience from the 1960s to the present. Her artistic courage in confronting and demanding engagement from viewers/participants with regard to racism, and her personal testimony about her difficult, cutting experience in the world of academic philosophy is extraordinary.
She has been through the fire—but it was heartening to leave the exhibit with the image of Adrian Piper continuing to dance her clear-eyed way into the future in her new home in Berlin.
Glad to know that Dr. Allen and Ms Piper are friends. Together, with their colleagues, they are forging a new way forward.
12
I appreciated reading this article by George Yancy and interview with Dr. Allen. Aside from the relevancy of the discussion is the chance to learn the names of today's women in Philosopy all over the country who have risen despite the impediments. It is heartening.
In the 1950's I was a student at Brooklyn College, majoring in Philosophy and minoring in World Literature. I was the only woman in my graduating class to get a degree in Philos. among eight other men, and graduated w honors and a Phi Beta Kappa key. Confused about what to do next, I reached out to my Chairman for advice. I wanted to continue in graduate school but was concerned about opportunities for women. Sadly, he confirmed my concern, advising me not to continue in Philosphy, for the teaching positions for women in academia at that level, he said, were almost non-existent. This was the 1950's.
Obviously some progress has been made, and it was not a question of race, but of gender. I do not regret my decision not to go forward in this field because I found an equally-compelling interest. What Philosophy had given me -- really learning how to think --, continues to inform my life in so many ways.
17
Thank you for this!
As a cis white male who went through the philosophy ranks in the 90's so much of this rings true to what I witnessed.
I found myself with power (not earned) and a voice, but drawn to a sub-field that was marginal in the Philo community, from "2nd tier" institutions (couldn't afford the "thinking-track" colleges) in a discipline shrinking at a violent rate and under constant social pressure to justify itself or go-away. As a consequence I washed out and took my passion and care to do community building and social justice work. That I, with all kinds of privilege found the field hostile, and without much payout for the suffering expected makes me only wonder how the hell someone lacking my unearned benefits is supposed to find a home in the field.
I hope we can all agree that philosophy needs room to grow and breathe and that we desperately need as many voices/perspectives in these conversations as possible. I don't see any path toward that within American institutions presently.
It's really tough to encourage people to sit in the boughs of a tree while it rots and is being cut down.
25
It's true that the field has been shrinking. How big do you think it should be? What are your criteria? Could it be a question of supply and demand?
As for the opportunities for those without "unearned benefits", consider this hypothetical case: two equally gifted and qualified individuals competing for a scarce academic faculty position in Philosophy. One is a white male, the other a black female. Who gets the job?
3
How about using 'American of African Heritage' instead of African-American? Unless you were born in Africa, that is. Otherwise, it is a matter of philosophy. I am NOT 'European- American, just American, thank you.
10
Professor Allen describes a shocking interaction with a “very senior Harvard-educated white male philosopher”. Although he is not named, I’m sure that many academics will easily guess his identity. Given the appalling, possibly illegal, conduct that is alleged, did Mr. Yancy reach out to the individual concerned to get his side of the story, or corroborate the facts in any way?
16
Because of course the perp. is innocent and his accuser is guilty? Did Professor Anita Allen made up the offensive e-mail she received after her negative review?
3
"Back when I was a graduate student teaching assistant, a black student approached me and asked why I didn’t teach black philosophy. I gave the then standard answer that philosophy addresses universal themes applicable to everyone. But it has proven really hard for undergrads to see why Plato’s allegory of the cave, or Leibniz’s windowless monads or even Rawls’s theory of liberal justice matter enough to make philosophy their majors or life’s work."
I'm confused. Who then should do standard philosophy according this relevance criteria? White Greek men, white German men and white American men? White English men for Bertrand Russel?
35
This is like the people who criticize the Black Panther movie because "what would happen if white people had their own movies"? If you think black people don't need to articulate their own perspective you haven't read this article.
3
You're quite right except that it is not perceived that Ancient Greeks did not share in out present racial categorization so that some of those philosophers were most certainly what in the Us today be classified as "black".
And then some luminaries in traditional Western view too were "black" by today US standards. I'm thinking of Beethoven and Pushkin for instance, and then lesser luminaries such as Alexandre Dumas and, oh , how to overlook Empress Josephine!
The problem with present racial constructions is that culturally they hark back to the "one drop rule" which was law in large parts of the US till the end of the sixties. So "we" still consider any trace of a possible African inheritance as making a person "black" (like President Obama is black but not white)
Incidentally that mythical "one drop rule" (which Hitler admired) also governed laws defining Jews in Nazi Germany. You were a Jew if one of your grand parents (one of your great grand parents in Nazi France at the time) was suspected of being of Jewish "ancestry".....
Sorry for the digression....
1
A philosopher who thinks Plato isn't relevant to our lives today? Hm...
45
a so called philosopher who has trouble reading:
Allen: "But it has proven really hard for undergrads to see why Plato’s allegory of the cave, or Leibniz’s windowless monads or even Rawls’s theory of liberal justice matter enough to make philosophy their majors or life’s work."
Did she say that "Plato isn't relevant to our lives today"? Or did she say it was hard at times to convince a young student of Plato's relevance?
Do yourself a favor and read her statement again.
8
Oops. Angela Davis was certainly into radical politics, but you neglected to mention that she was prosecuted for conspiracy as a result of purchasing firearms used in the 1970 armed takeover of a California courtroom in which four persons were killed.
She was also a long-time member of the Communist Party USA and was twice a vice-presidential candidate on the CPUSA ticket.
I am not sure Angela Davis is a suitable poster child for black women in philosophy.
40
Are we in the McCarthy era still? How does being a communist disqualify a person from any pursuit or calling? Communism is as much a philosophy as an economic project. And it’s espousal does not a criminal or a dunce make. Think, Mon Ray, think - with openness and curiosity.
7
You seem to have missed the part where she was involved in criminal conspiracy.
Read, thea, read -- with openness and a commitment to something larger than tribalism.
when I studied philosophy at Brooklyn College in the early sixties, not only were women of any color neglected , so to was all mankind. The human element in various fields of philosophical studies was completely irrelevant and ignored.
9
You'd think that when women study knowledge it would be called sophia, not philosophy, the competitive male knowledge game. Without the compartmentalizations of patriarchal science and pseudo-science, knowledge is a unifying, not divisive resource. Just like spirituality is to religion.
The Harvard-educated, white male philosopher who harassed Ms. Allen will not change, and the environment will not change, unless he and his ilk are exposed. Were I in Ms. Allen's shoes I doubt I would have the strength to publish his email to her. But I would wish that I could do it. Many in the field and outside of it would revile her, but every woman student coming after her would reap the benefits of her action.
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Pioneers are always inspiring, especially those whose abilities can be more easily expressed in more receptive venues, but choose a particularly difficult career. Getting abused, passed-over for promotion and salary, having no collegiate friends for help; always a very hard go. However, given the size of academic philosophy’s impact on either society or employment, I’m even more impressed with those whose pioneering helps larger populations.
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Thank you, Dr. Allen, for speaking on the challenges of African-American women in philosophy--a field that can be unwelcoming to women, especially women of color. The examples you shared of the kind of misogyny and racism present in academia should open people's eyes. These are not isolated incidents--any POC in academia can relate to these belittling incidents. Sadly, they are not uncommon. Those who think academics should "know better" have not spent much time in the academy.
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Interesting; just in case the reader doesn't know, about those "denied tenure" or who "faced rejection": plenty of white males are not promoted to tenure, especially at elite institutions. It is not at all uncommon for white male graduate students in philosophy, even in top Ph.D. programs, and graduates of those programs, to decide not to continue in academia. Just to put this in context.
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Truly what is the point of this comment? To enlighten the reader that not everyone receives tenure (and that rejection comes to all) -- something surely obvious; or to highlight the plight of "white male graduate students" against the specific claims of racism and sexism in this article?
What motivation does one have to add this "context" if only to bring attention to the plight of those "plenty of white males" instead of to the point of this article which is racial and gender bias, denigration and discrimination?
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Because Allen cites being denied tenure as an example of racism or sexism in Philosophy as a discipline.
Mark's comment implies that, lacking context, such a conclusion is not necessarily warranted.
Academia is an extremely competitive disciple. First, the vast majorities of philosophy PhDs never are hired into a tenure-track job in the first place. And second, those who do secure a tenure track job are often denied tenure for many, many reasons. Around 30% of the time.
Facing rejection is what academia is all about.
I think Mark is trying to provide more info about the broader realities of academia.
And I think that that is OBVIOUSLY what he is doing.
My question: why do you object? Why is more info about getting/not getting tenure an issue for you?
Good luck to Professor Allen! Her most pressing challenge might not be to encourage women of color or women generally to excel in the academic field of philosophy, but to try to save the discipline itself as it slowly shrinks and diminishes as a part of American higher education. If minority women (and men) can make philosophical issues appealing to this generation of students, that would be wonderful. However, skepticism and pessimism are still intrinsic to philosophy.
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This is an extraordinarily important topic and interview. True, it does conflate the substance of the discipline with the sociology of the discipline but they are related.
A few years ago, our little college introduced the requirement of an introduction to philosophy class as part of the Gen Ed program. It has been very successful; when the students realize the potential of a world of ideas many become angry that they had not been exposed to philosophy before.
However, it has opened a conversation about the discipline, faculty and how the discipline is presented to students. Our student body is increasingly diverse and we owe it to them to recognize the world of ideas , not just Western European males.
Identifying faculty has been very difficult. Philosophy has not produced many Ph.D.s beyond white males. Few have training in ideas beyond Western Europe.
I am delighted to see Dr. Allen's success. Congratulations!! It is an accomplishment but further represents the potential of the discipline.
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This is an interesting & informative conversation, but it's about the sociology of philosophy as a profession, not about philosophical issues. I only complain because this column so often conflates the two. Of course I realize the 2 are related, but that is not the point discussed here, and the framing is not philosophical,
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It's a philosopher discussing a plethora of issues related to philosophy, which can and does include matters related to sociology. If you're part of the dominant culture in America today, this lady will present a great deal of unease to you for which you can begin to explore hopefully the philosophy of humility.
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R. Terrance:
I would hope that the things discussed here would make everyone uneasy. My point was not about the importance of the issues discussed here, which is undeniable. My point was that this is not a philosophical discussion, though philosophy is what this column was created for. Every article in the newspaper has abundant grist for the philosophical mill, but that does not make the articles themselves philosophical themselves. Again, I only complained because it happens repeatedly.
Martin, are you telling us that philosophy is a matter of form not of content? If that is so it does spell the death of philosophy, but I dont agree with you and I think philosophy will survive in a transformed form.
Have you ever wondered why we are no longer talking in Proto-Sanskrit? It is because languages and forms change all the time but philosophical questions remain albeit in new forms...
In philosophy a recent example would be the introduction of semiotics/semiology. (what can I say, I'm a fan of C.S Pierce...). More new elements have happened since then, as for instance the overlap of quantum physics and the new forms that old questions of space and time have taken. (and yes, quantum physicists do refer to Plato....)
I strongly believe that form is the servant of the content. You are free to think otherwise and stick to Proto-Sanskrit.
Philosophy in America today?
What philosophy? If there is philosophy it hasn't prevented the entire educational system being a piece of irony. Here is education in America: A place where we learn about the most illustrious humans, humans which in some cases deserving to be remembered even after thousands of years, but in the classroom no one, not even the teacher, can stand the thought that among us today are people at least deserving to be remembered hundreds of years from now and perhaps even a thousand.
In America there is a relentless equalizing of everyone. Probably the best the right can think of someone being remembered a hundred years from now is to point to a billionaire businessman. The left is not about the individual at all but rather elevating especially this or that underrepresented group in society. America simply has no will not to mention system of identifying those individuals worth remembering hundreds of years from now.
We do not believe in the towering individual genius. Instead it's about all of us being remembered all together, as if our age in its entirety is to be remembered hundreds of years from now and spoken with pride, as if each of us today is an unforgettable person. In such an environment it's rather silly to speak of philosophy. THE philosophy is already stated and put into operation every day and woe to anyone who would criticize it. But it could be I am wrong. Perhaps we are so magnificent as to be remembered for a thousand years.
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Excellent interview. Really appreciated hearing Dr. Allen's perspective. Thanks to the NYT for publishing it.
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Professor Yancy's desire to paint philosophy with a gendered and racial brush is sadly expected. Professor Allen's acquiescence to play along is more disappointing.
We read Plato, Lebniz and Rawls for the same reasons we read W. E. B. Du Bois and Alain Leroy Locke - because they're brilliant and still have something to say about life today - independent of their gender and race.
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You are conflating two different issues in respect of this particular article. Yancy interviews Dr. Allen about issues of race and gender with respect to becoming and being an academic philosopher. He nowhere in this article suggests we should not read Plato. Dr. Yancy is no less up to speed or enthusiastic about his Descartes than you are.
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BTW do you believe what DuBois said;that the problem of the twienteenth century in America will be the "race problem"?
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And consistent enough to become toothless.
Thanks to Prof. Allen for giving the interview and to Mr. Yancy and the Times for reporting it.
Academia can be a snakepit. That some scholars must overcome even further obstacles informs us that the sector shares pitfalls with the rest of America's, despite how it may prefer to see itself.
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Oops: Prof. Yancy.
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