Distortion in Philosophy

There are more women and people of color in academic philosophy now, but when most of the authors we read are white and male, some aspects of the subject matter get distorted, and it’s hard to tell where the essential stuff ends and the accidental stuff begins.

Philosophy has, of course, become more diverse in recent years, with more women and people of color entering the field. However, that hasn’t changed the lack of diversity in the canon of philosophy.

In particular, as Ray Briggs, Stanford philosophy professor and featured contributor on our blog, argues, some of the philosophical examples used over and over again are misogynistic, or rely on false hypothesis. Briggs worries that “when most of the authors we read are white and male, some aspects of the subject matter get distorted, and it’s hard to tell where the essential stuff ends and the accidental stuff begins.”

Could these examples distort current philosophers’ attention, directing them to certain problems over others?

Read more here: http://dailynous.com/2018/04/16/examples-that-distort/