Racism and Sexism in
Academic Philosophy -
Texas Tech University
Racism in Academic Philosophy in Canada, England, and the USA
Sexism in Academic Philosophy in Canada, England, and USA
By: Shawn Alli
Posted: May 9, 2016
*All individuals and organizations receive 7 full days of pre-publication notice (11 including weekends).
*I ask for a request for comment from the philosophy department instead of the university spokesperson because it's the philosophy department (philosophers) that are racist or sexist.
*I round up to one decimal place for all figures.
In a request for comment I ask them:
1. Do you believe that 2/10 women in tenure-track positions represents sexism in the Texas Tech University philosophy department?
2. Do you believe that 1/10 visible minorities in tenure-track positions represents racism in the Texas Tech University philosophy department?
Texas Tech Philosophy Professor Mark Webb is kind enough to respond:
I'm not going to answer these questions, because a simple yes or no answer would be incredibly misleading. Also, since I have no idea what your intentions are or how you intend to use the information, I have no reason to trust your good faith. If you want a nuanced discussion of the history if my department, together with my opinions about the degree to which sexism and racism may or may not have played a role, I'd be happy to have that discussion with you. I'm not going simply affirm or deny that we are racist or sexist.
Umm...my request for comment is pretty clear about the direction of the article. And if Webb wants to understand my full intentions he only has to spend $5.95 USD out of his 100K salary to read the e-book to find out. But he, like all academic philosophers won't do that. They won't spend a cent or take any time to look into the views of a non-academic philosopher.
A nuanced discussion? It's tough to have a nuanced discussion when the tenure-track numbers for visible minorities are 10%, and for women 20%. The problem doesn't require a history lesson. It requires a change in racist and sexist ideologies by the philosophy department's hiring committee.