Discussion Introduction
What does it mean to think about racism in philosophical terms? The answer depends, in part, on what aspect of the concept is at issue. Some theorists think about the moral dimensions of racism, some think about the ways that laws codify or institutionalize racism, and some think about the nature of racism as such. (It’s true that there are points of contact across all three of the topics I mentioned, but there are also distinctions. It’s also true that I’ve only hinted at the breadth and depth of what philosophers have to say about it.)
What does it mean to think about racism in institutional terms? Part of the answer puzzles me, mainly because I don’t think institutions are real in the same way that individuals are — and anyway, there aren’t institutions without individuals to create, sustain, reform, or dismantle them. In any case, Michelle Alexander’s work, The New Jim CrowLinks to an external site., provides an excellent example of what we’re talking about when we’re talking about institutional racism, where laws, policies, agencies, and organizations bring to bear their formal authority on the perpetuation of subjugating groups of people.
Before we move on to the prompt choices for this week’s discussion, I must mention that the history of the United States is fraught with racism. We won’t get to everything we should. It’s a really big and complicated history, but also worthwhile for us to pursue. I hope what we’re doing gives us either a start on that process, gives us new ways of thinking about racism, or provides clarity on existing ideas.
Read on for the instructions!
General Instructions
Please consult the Discussion Forum Rubric for some general writing guidelines.
Think of all your discussion work as part of your essay exam preparation. Interacting with the text, your classmates, and me should aid the development of your understanding of the material, as well as provide you with practice articulating your thinking about the text.
Pay attention to spelling and grammar, which are essential tools for doing philosophy. Precision in word choices and sentence structures also aid in the clear and coherent presentation of ideas and arguments
You should write your post in a Word (or similar) document, so that you have a saved copy. (We have access to Word and cloud saving through the SIS!) When you’re ready to post, you can copy and paste into the discussion field.
Your original post should be roughly 350 words.
Your peer response should be roughly 500 words.
Part I Instructions and Prompt
In this discussion, be sure to focus on explicating your chosen thinker’s reasoning.
Choose one of the following prompts to address (roughly 350 words):According to Appiah, on what grounds do both intrinsic and extrinsic racism fail as legitimate beliefs? On what ground does each fail in its own way?
According to Toole, why is epistemic oppression problematic? What is the connection between epistemic oppression and hermeneutical injustice?
Do NOT use ChatGPT or similar text generator in your work.
Part II
I will upload part two after part one is complete because I need to paste a classmates respose in order for you to do part two