2020-02-02 Race Matters
From Philosophy Talk | Part of the Philosophy Talk series | 53:58
What's could be controversial about a movement insisting that Black lives matter too?
- Playing
- 2020-02-02 Race Matters
- From
- Philosophy Talk
Started in the wake of George Zimmerman's 2013 acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin, the #BlackLivesMatter movement has become a powerful campaign demanding redress for the mistreatment of African-Americans by law enforcement in the United States. But it has also inspired deep antipathy from those who claim it overemphasizes racial issues. So how much does – and should – race matter? Does #BlackLivesMatter speak for all black people? How should we respond to counter-movements like #AllLivesMatter? Ken and Debra discuss matters with Chris Lebron from Johns Hopkins University, author of The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea.
Affirmative Action: Too Little or Too Much?
From Philosophy Talk | Part of the Philosophy Talk series | 53:59
Does affirmative action undermine the achievements of those who are supposed to benefit from it?
Addressing our nation’s history of racial injustice can be a truly backbreaking endeavor. Race-based affirmative action is usually thought of as one such effort, and colleges and universities often use it in their admissions process. However, affirmative action does seem to lower standards for certain under-represented minorities like Blacks and Hispanics. Should we think of affirmative action as patronizing those minorities, or rectifying the injustices they face? Is affirmative action enough to redress racial injustice, or is it simply the best we can do for the time being? John and Ken welcome Glenn Loury from Brown University, author of The Anatomy of Racial Inequality.
Black Solidarity
From Philosophy Talk | Part of the Philosophy Talk series | 53:59
Is there still a place for political unity among African-Americans?
- Playing
- Black Solidarity
- From
- Philosophy Talk
From the abolition of slavery to the Black Power movement, black unity has been considered a powerful method to achieve freedom and equality. But does black solidarity still make sense in a supposedly post-racial era? Or should we be moving past all racial identities and identity politics? And how should we think about racial solidarity versus class or gender solidarity? In celebration of Black History Month, John and Ken join forces with Tommie Shelby from Harvard University, author of We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity.
Bi-racial Identities
From Philosophy Talk | Part of the Philosophy Talk series | 53:59
Is a person with one black parent and one white parent black? White? Neither? Both?
- Playing
- Bi-racial Identities
- From
- Philosophy Talk
Many people identify strongly with the ethnic or racial group to which they belong – as Jews, or African-Americans, or Latinos. But to which groups does a person truly belong? President Obama has a white mother from Kansas and an African father from Kenya. Why is he seen as our first African-American President, rather than our forty-fourth white president? How does racial identity work? Is such identification a positive or a negative factor in a person's life? Must we choose among our potential identities? Ken and John discuss racial and bi-racial identity with Michele Elam from Stanford University, author of Mixed Race in the New Millennium.
2021-02-07 W.E.B. DuBois
From Philosophy Talk | Part of the Philosophy Talk series | 53:58
The life and thought of sociologist, historian, philosopher, editor, writer, and activist W.E.B. DuBois.
- Playing
- 2021-02-07 W.E.B. DuBois
- From
- Philosophy Talk
W.E.B. DuBois was one of the most influential intellectuals of the twentieth century. The first African-American Ph.D. from Harvard University, DuBois died in Ghana after having renounced his American citizenship. In between he co-founded the NAACP and wrote The Souls of Black Folk (1903) as well as a number of other influential books that had a decisive impact on the development of African-American culture in the twentieth century. John and Ken discuss DuBois' life and thought with Lucius Outlaw from Vanderbilt University, author of On Race and Philosophy.
2020-06-07 White Privilege and Racial Injustice
From Philosophy Talk | Part of the Philosophy Talk series | 53:58
Is it a privilege or a right to be treated as you deserve to be?
“White privilege” has become a buzzword in discussions about racial inequality and racial justice. The call to “check your privilege” appeals to those privileged to acknowledge the various ways they receive special treatment that others don’t. But when white people explicitly acknowledge their privilege, does this do anything to further racial equality? Is talking about “white privilege” just a way to assuage white liberal guilt? Instead of unequal privilege, should we be more focused on equal rights? What kind of theory of justice is required to improve black lives? John and Ken check their privilege with Naomi Zack from the University of Oregon, author of White Privilege and Black Rights: The Injustice of U.S. Police Racial Profiling and Homicide.