Wrong philosophy
I was watching a video recently where three men, all well-known in the intellectual edge scene, discussed their philosophies while referencing the philosophical heritage from which their worldview emerged.
A few things struck me in the gut.
Three men. Three white men.
The reference for their work is a long line of white men.
Does humanity in 2024 need more of this?
I am not for a moment saying the men in the discussion are not brilliant, wholehearted, and worth listening to.
I am saying that it is well past time that we stop giving this lineage of philosophy the attention it gets. Please bring to the front the women, the indigenous, and the wisdom from other cultures. I know that we have to search long and hard to find the women philosophers of old. Yet they exist. It requires effort, triggered by a genuine desire, which seems curiously absent.
I am also saying that we stop applauding blindly the gathering of men at the intellectual fringes as they continue to speak for humanity without inviting the voices of women, the indigenous, and diverse others, to the discussion. Again, this requires effort, genuine desire and a commitment to lead the way. Again, curiously missing.
The possible wisdom these white male voices offer is now diminished in my eyes because it is so mono-culturally focused. How can they possibly offer true wisdom when their worldview is mono-cultural and mono-masculine?
I feel heartbroken for the brilliant voices left out as the oxygen continues to feed the engine of a thousand years of continuing patriarchy.
A part of me yells and rages and roils with frustration.
Perhaps, if these men refuse to do the efforting of inviting diversity, we might be forced to stop listening to them. This would be a loss, but less a loss than continuing to listen to the same voices that have dominated the space for so long.
Photo Taken July 26th 2022