Mar 28, 2020Is the Name “Wuhan Coronavirus” Prejudiced?As COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, there is somehow a raging debate about the acceptable name of the novel coronavirus. In the American context, the flame is especially stoked by, at least for a short period, Trump’s insistence on calling it “Chinese Virus”. Even if they are not as…Language5 min readLanguage5 min read
Jul 19, 2019Teaching the Oppression of Uighurs in a Philosophy CourseThere are many valuable aims of philosophy. There are many excellent ways of teaching philosophy. But, for whatever it’s worth, at the introductory level I prioritize the aim of showing the utility of philosophical tools and concepts for understanding the world. So, when I teach the introductory course Language, Knowledge…Philosophy5 min readPhilosophy5 min read
May 30, 2019Invasion of Algorithmic ManagersWhen your job is your life, the algorithms control you. Your Job Can Be Your Life Modern employers are private governments. They enjoy broad powers over their employees’ lives. Of course, they dictate employees lives during work hours and in the workplace. But even outside of those hours and those places, employers still hold control over…Technology4 min readTechnology4 min read
Apr 12, 2019Racism as Niche ConstructionNiche construction is a concept developed in ecology and evolutionary biology, which refers to “the modification of selective environments by organisms” (Laland et al 2016: 191). The world is not only something that organisms adapt to, but also something that organisms make. …Racism4 min readRacism4 min read
Jan 12, 2018Legitimation for Intro to PhilosophyNote: I started writing an outline for this post before “How is This Course Intro to Philosophy?” was cross-posted to Daily Nous. I appreciate the comment thread there, which has provided useful material for fleshing out the outline. In “How is This Course Intro to Philosophy?”, I recounted some (positive…Philosophy9 min readPhilosophy9 min read
Jan 3, 2018How is This Course Intro to Philosophy?Kristie Dotson’s “How Is This Paper Philosophy?” (2012) argues that the pervasive culture of justification within the profession makes philosophy unattractive for diverse practitioners, especially members of marginalized groups. Questions like “how is this paper philosophy?” signals the existence of certain norms that make some philosophical works legitimate and others…Higher Education5 min readHigher Education5 min read
Dec 29, 2016How Racists Are Made Into UnicornsPeople evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate. […] It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument, means, and proof of power. — James Baldwin, “If Black…Racism6 min readRacism6 min read
Dec 7, 2016Stop the Epistemic Marginalization of TaiwanWhether through intent or incompetence, Donald Trump has broken established US and international norms by speaking to the president of Taiwan on the phone. …China4 min readChina4 min read
