Philosophy and Social Justice
The Philosophy department offers a new option for students focusing on social justice. The social justice track recognizes that philosophers since antiquity have not only asked questions about what social institutions are needed to achieve justice, but have also worked as social reformers to promote social justice. Philosophical methods of conceptual and contextual analyses and careful argumentation provide important tools for grappling with real world injustices. The social justice track allows students to develop their philosophical skills to address questions of human rights, equality, and social responsibility.
See our About the Major page for more details including sample concentrations.
The department hosts an annual Social Justice Lecture. Recent lectures have included:
Alice Crary,"All Justice is Animal Justice"2024
Robin Dembroff, "Real Men on Top" 2023
Click Here for Video Recording of Real Men on Top
Sally Haslanger, “But What Can We Do?...Ideology, Power, and Agency.” 2020
Charles Mills, “Racial Justice” 2019
Click Here for Video Recording of Racial Justice
Kyle Powys Whyte, "Indigenous Peoples and Climate Justice: Resisting Ecological Colonialism, Decolonizing the Anthropocene" 2018
Alice MacLachlan, Myisha Cherry, and Axelle Karera, “Rage, Hope & Forgiveness” 2017
Lisa Guenther, "The Unmaking and Remaking of the World in Long-Term Solitary Confinement" 2016
