I even have a beard.
March 27, 2015 11:08 AM   Subscribe

"I'm a confident, cis, hetero, non-disabled, English-speaking, white healthy, middle-class, male philosopher (a cchhnewmmp?). So I'm one of *those* philosophers. I even have a beard. I also care deeply about philosophy's lack of inclusiveness: it's embarrassing; philosophy as a discipline suffers if its pool of potential awesomeness is restricted; people who could thrive philosophically miss out. However, working out how to help is hard, especially given that my capacity to be part of the problem is very real. I am one more cchhnewmmp, after all. Roughly, then, I'm trying to learn how to 'be an ally' (for me this involves going beyond recognizing the problem and trying to affect positive change)." Adrian Currie on inclusiveness in Philosophy.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (5 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Hey, yeah, this looks like it might be a better fit as an addition to your philosophy post from yesterday than as a second post today, maybe add it as a comment? -- cortex



 
Privilege often leads to epistemic opacity

I'm totally stealing that line
posted by Dr. Twist at 11:20 AM on March 27, 2015


I feel like if you genuinely think this is a problem (as many people who describe themselves like Adrian do) the obvious action would be not to " give advice" but to resign your job on the condition that someone who meets your diversity requirements is selected to fill it.

He must believe that he has gotten his position through privilege and there are equally capable candidates who were denied it because of discrimination, the honourable course would be to start at home. We would not listen to a vegan chicken farmer - why should anyone listen to an "ally" in this sense?

Ofc, I think this is a shit definition of an ally - an ally is an independent actor who often agrees with you but is not afraid to disagree with you or who disagrees with you a lot but acts in concert because you have the same enemies. The word you are looking for if you share every belief and value and are looking to others for leadership is soldier.

There is nothing wrong with being a soldier, but no-one wants soldiers who are not prepared to sacrifice themselves, that is the whole point of soldiers.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 11:29 AM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


Would this link be better put within the ongoing discussion in your FPP from yesterday?
posted by gwint at 11:30 AM on March 27, 2015 [3 favorites]


Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory, you seem to be asking the author to pull a pin on a grenade, throw it, then run over and jump on it.
posted by Celsius1414 at 11:38 AM on March 27, 2015


He must believe that he has gotten his position through privilege and there are equally capable candidates who were denied it because of discrimination, the honourable course would be to start at home. We would not listen to a vegan chicken farmer - why should anyone listen to an "ally" in this sense?

He wants to affect positive change, not effect positive change.
posted by pseudonick at 11:39 AM on March 27, 2015


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