"All four philosophy professors were embroiled in a 2014 academic brawl over what they perceived as an abuse of power within their field. Now, they say someone is sending them shit in an attempt to shut them up.
The question is, who? And why now?...
In recent years, philosophy professors have worked to improve what some say is a hostile professional climate dominated by white men. Studies show that women and minorities face discrimination and have a difficult time succeeding in the field (Haslanger has researched the topic).
One of the most powerful players in philosophy is Leiter, who in 1989 founded the Philosophical Gourmet Report, a highly influential ranking of philosophy PhD programs that the New York Times hascalled a “bible for prospective graduate students." Leiter and his report have drawn controversy for decades, but the shit really hit the fan, so to speak, in 2014, during a convoluted clash that began when Leiter felt personally attacked by a blog post Jenkins wrote. In it, she pledged to treat other philosophers with respect, especially those more junior or “professionally vulnerable.”...
Sally Haslanger and David Velleman also published their own concerned statement that included emails Leiter had sent to Jenkins and other women that they felt contained “serious and credible threats aimed at silencing the recipients.”
FB: "the mysterious shit-stirrer makes clear there’s still “a problem in the discipline — 'toxic' is no longer a metaphorical term,” said Jennifer Saul, a professor in the philosophy department at the University of Sheffield and editor of the blog What Is It Like to Be a Woman in Philosophy."
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