Competition in philosophy is a feminist issue

Title
Competition in philosophy is a feminist issue
Publication Date
2022-10-19
Author(s)
Kilby, Ben
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9271-9092
Email: bkilby2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:bkilby2
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
University of Birmingham
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.46707/jps.9ii.153
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/71717
Abstract

The role of competition in philosophy is not just a pedagogical concern, but also a feminist concern. Competitive philosophy in schools is intrinsically linked to Janice Moulton's feminist critique of academic philosophy referred to as 'The Adversary Method'. She argues that dialogue that emphasises adversarial methods of argumentation promote dominant notions of masculinity. Many philosophers and educators argue that this traditional ideal of masculinity and the adversarial mode of communicating are problematic for a variety of reasons. There has also been a broad array of empirical research demonstrating gender differences in classroom dialogue, including girls feeling targeted by teachers and boys due to the culture established with competitive-type dialogues. There is a direct link between this research and the espousal of masculine Reason in education. More, this kind of Reason is one that is overemphasised in competitive dialogues, such as debates or competitive philosophy. There are three primary concerns for competitive philosophy. Firstly, that it disadvantages girls in particular by over-emphasising masculine attributes. Secondly, that it disadvantages all students, regardless of sex, by over-emphasising masculine attributes. And thirdly, that it undermines the values of the Philosophy for/with Children and the Community of Inquiry approach by, again, over-emphasising masculine attributes. Therefore, the concern for competition in philosophy is not just about pedagogy, it is about justice.

Link
Citation
Journal of Philosophy in Schools, 9(2), p. 90-113
ISSN
2204-2482
Start page
90
End page
113
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

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