The second half of the 20th century brought major changes into the lives of women and people of color. The Civil Rights and social movements in countries like India, the United States, and South Africa, along with feminism in various parts of the world, gave a voice to these groups and allowed their philosophers to participate in the main philosophical discourse of the time. Even this short history of philosophy of women and people of various cultures and races produced a diversity of new ideas unique to their struggles and issues of existence. In this Discussion assignment, you will explore “other voices” of philosophy, for example, feminist, African, and Latin American philosophies.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Review Interactive Units 1–3 and the webpages listed in the Required Resources for this Discussion.
- Consider how cultures that produced the dominant philosophical ideas in the past have viewed the roles of women and of the various racial and ethnic groups in their society.
- Reflect on what you most closely identify with—your nationality, your social class, your sex, your family, your race, your religion, or something else. Think about how this may influence the philosophies with which you identify most closely.
Post a 2- to 3-paragraph response in which you evaluate how the philosophies of women and people of various cultures and races have affected dominant Western philosophies. How are their traditions different from and/or similar to the Western philosophical tradition? Consider whether the emergence of these “other voices” changed the focus of the main philosophical discourse. Why or why not?
Support your ideas by connecting them to Interactive Unit content, the survey you completed, or something that you have read, heard, seen, or experienced. Be sure to use evidence to support your claims by citing your source. For example, acceptable citations include “According to the ‘Feminist Philosophy’ link” and “According to a January 5, 2015 article in the New York Times.”
Resources:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-femhist/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/african-sage/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/latin-american-philosophy/