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Who Gets to Ponder the Big Questions of Life Is Ripe for Disruption
Why perspectives in academic philosophy beyond the White male gaze matter
Academic philosophers build their work around topics that include the meaning of life and freedom, what it means to be human, how to live a good life, and other questions that encourage us to think about existence and humanity in new ways. So what happens when these questions are considered through one dominant lens?
The racism, classism, and general exclusion perpetuated in academic philosophy circles has long been the subject of scrutiny. Some argue that the field is xenophobic and transphobic; others choose to leave the field due to its failure to hold a mirror up to itself and do better for the sake of academic integrity.
Statistically speaking, academic philosophy is overwhelmingly White and male. According to the American Philosophical Association (APA), of approximately 10,000 PhD-trained philosophers in the United States, about 125 are Black. And of those 125, only 38 are women. While the field has historically silenced and excluded Black women, our presence is necessary to ensure that philosophers approach these questions from different perspectives.
