Philosophers have developed concepts they consider are sufficient for defining racism. One philosopher is Tommie Shelby. Shelby presents his reasoning for why we should view racism as an ideology, or a system of beliefs that constitute social oppression (Shelby, 415). Racism is not an innate characteristic, rather it is something culturally and socially constructed, denying it as being a personal vice. This means that racial discrimination is not just about the individual but, also society. Society plays a large role in creating certain beliefs, stereotypes, and thoughts about different groups that serve to promote racism. I will present Shelby’s reasoning and understanding of racism, later introducing another philosopher, Sally Haslanger, …show more content…
who expands upon and presents her view of Shelby’s claim that ideology is necessary for racism. To understand the notion that pushes Shelby to define a better-suited definition of racism, we must first understand how Shelby responds to Garcia’s claim. To do this, understanding Garcia proposal of defining racism as volitions, i.e., feelings, emotions, and desires. This definition states that racism is not conceptualized as certain beliefs held by the person about a race, rather, attitudes, motives, and volitions held by that person. Garcia formulates the idea of racism in the heart, meaning volitions are essential for the heart to be involved in attitudes and actions to justify as racism. He goes on saying those racist beliefs are secondary features of racism, thus, being logically unnecessary (Shelby, 413-414). Shelby gives a critical examination of Garcia’s claim, stating that Garcia’s definition is incorrect because volitional feelings are not, alone, sufficient for racial discrimination, he believes, “...that such beliefs are essential to and even sufficient for racism...” (Shelby, 414).
Shelby supports this claim by presenting Garcia’s definition and introducing cases that prove Garcia's statement as false. He later narrows his definition of racism to include only racially based volitions (Shelby, 414). Shelby responds to both of Garcia’s statements with first the Stephen and Andre Case: Imagine a man Stephen hates Andre, not because he is black, but because Andre is having an affair with his wife. Garcia believes Stephen is a racist; however, Stephen’s ill will for Andre is not sufficient for racism (Shelby, 414). Additionally, his proposal of the Peter X/Andre Case serves to reject Garcia’s second redefinition: Peter X hates Andre because he is dating a white woman, which undermines the movement for black liberation. Shelby states this is not racist because Peter X has racially based ill will, animosity, and racist ideas, but does not portray racist attitudes or actions since he supports the movement (Shelby, 414). Introducing these two analogies expose the flaws in Garcia’s definition, allowing Shelby to present a more clear definition of …show more content…
racism. In Garcia's final claim he states the motive for hatred must be based simply because the target is a specific race (Shelby, 414). Responding to Garcia, Shelby claims that this idea would leave the motives for racism vague or obscure, leaving the racist’s volitions unclear unless they have connections to beliefs in the society. This connection is seen when Shelby introduces the idea of a visceral racist, stating that this person has no explanation for these aversions to black people. Shelby elaborates that the aversion stems from the person’s childhood, which produced these racist beliefs into a form of aversions that she cannot explain (Shelby, 415). To further the argument, Shelby presents his core definition, “I would suggest that we view racism as fundamentally a type of ideology” (Shelby, 415). Shelby defines it as widely accepted systems of beliefs that establish social oppression. Ideologies are required, or it cannot be feasible to distinguish one’s intention as racist or not if we do not assume they already possess racist beliefs. Furthermore, because racism empowers and nurtures oppression, it is morally significant, making it an ideology. Ideologies not only supply the beliefs but cause people to act upon them. These views arise from a group of systems, contributing to formulating an ideology (Shelby, 416). Sally Haslanger, another philosopher, having heard this disagreement, proceeds to join the philosophical debate in support of Shelby’s perspective of racism as an ideology.
Haslanger agrees that racism is an ideology, and chooses to build from Shelby’s ideas since his definition allows for flexibility to new definitions. The flexibility of his definition of racism lies in its recognition of the role played by individuals, societies, and institutions. His definition is broader, offering greater clarity to other philosophers who are interested in approaching this topic and defining
racism. However, Haslanger argues that Shelby’s definition is insufficient, proposing to assign a label or attribute to racism, which must include the social framework that promotes these ideologies as “engagement in social practices” (Haslanger, Slide 25). Haslanger rejects Shelby’s cognitive ideology as insufficient: while it explains the origin of racist beliefs; it fails to promote social change or disrupt racist ideologies. Conversely, Haslanger mentions Shelby’s view of ideology as narrow: this is because, “...an account of ideology needs to explain what it is for the ideology to be culturally shared, public, dominant instead of being a bunch of beliefs…” (Haslanger, Slide 20), or we cannot understand how we end up with these beliefs. Therefore, Haslanger creates her definition which she believes is a better and more integrated to define racism. This essay presents and unfolds Garcia’s, Shelby’s, and Haslanger’s ideas on racism, studying the perspectives of racism from a volitional, and cognitive standpoint. This exploration of racial discrimination has sought to define racism not as a personal vice, but as an ideology because it is developed by the person’s environment and not inbuilt in one’s nature. While Shelby directly rejects Garcia’s individual approach to racism, his subsequent definition of racism as an ideology allows for considerable flexibility. Haslinger perspective is a testament to this flexibility: she embraces Shelby’s idea of racism as an ideology, but seeks to consider the broader social factors and mechanisms that the ideology exists within.
...r own unique ways.; however, the authors focus on different aspects of prejudice and racism, resulting in them communicating different ideas and thoughts that range from racial discrimination to stereotypical attitudes. The range of ideas attempt to engage the readers about the reality of their issues. The reality about a world where prejudice and racism still prevail in modern times. But when will prejudice and racism ever cease to exist? And if they were ever to cease from existence, what does that mean about humankind?
Shelby suggests that Jorge Garcia presents an inadequate conception of racism, hence a new, more nuanced concept of racism is necessitated. Garcia contends that “racism is always wrong” and that it is an “individual moral vice” (479). Garcia’s “infection model” explains that an “act is racist insofar as a racist heart infects the conduct of the racist; and an institution is racist insofar as it is rooted in the racist attitudes and the resulting racist-infected actions of its founds and/or current functions” (479). Shelby’s response to this is that an action can be racist even if it is separate from racist intentions. Shelby perceives that Garcia holds the idea that “racist beliefs are a secondary and an inessential feature of racism” since “race-based non-cognitive attitudes are the key ingredient, an...
There are so many ideas that explained how racism began. According to polygenesis theory, racism rose from the different treatment for each race with existence of stratification among people. Racism can be broadly defined as attitude, belief, behavior, or institutional arrangement that favors one racial group over another (Farely, 1995). From this definition we can see that racism is not only distinction about the color of skin but can be elaborate to the bigger scope.
Back, Les, and Solomos, John, Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader, (New York: Routledge, 2000).
Racism (n): the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other race (Wordnet search, 1), a controversial topic in today’s society, a subject that many people try to sweep under the rug, but yet a detrimental problem that has been present in America since the colonial era. Will this dilemma come to a halt? Can all Americans see each other as equals despite their skin color and nationality; and what role has it played in past generations versus today’s generations and how will it affect our future? Has this on going way of thinking gotten better or worse? These are questions raised when many think about the subject; especially members of American ethnic groups and backgrounds, because most have dealt with racial discrimination in their life time.
Defining race as a “symbolic category” is intriguing, since this category purely exists mentally in the mind of the general population. Desmond and Emirbayer’s “Individualistic Fallacy” is presented in different parts including the concept that racism is solely racism when it has a negative effect. People tend to believe that racist people have negative thoughts or beliefs about different races, but according to Desmond and Emirbayer, this is not true. They believe that the only way to get rid of racism is to not recognize it as just a concept, but to recognize that all humans as only humans, and not be labeled to a specific race or color. The two authors argue that the first step to end racism is admitting there is a problem, and this is usually a hard step to follow since most people do not tend to think they’re a racist. The general population does not realize that being racist does not necessarily mean being
This week’s readings focus on the scholarly attempts to define race, race relations, and racism in the latter half of the 20th century. Solomos and Back walk readers through key literature and concepts on the topic in their introductory chapter of Theories of Race and Racism. In their overview, Solomos and Back shows that the definitions of race and racism have been continuously contested since the 1960s, when the “sociology of race relations” took off, and especially with the incorporation of feminist perspectives and colonial theories in more recent years.
In today’s modern society, we live in a world where racism amongst people of different races has the ability and potential to express itself in a variety of ways. This expression of racism could vary depending on geography, culture, time period, etc. Nevertheless, regardless of these possible factors, racism is likely taking shape in some way or form, whether one is cognizant of it or not. This racism that seems to be occurring throughout the world, has had and continues to have a profound effect on the way we live today, not only economically and politically, but socially as well. Many philosophers have studied racism, looking at the situation from various standpoints and perspectives. In an attempt to get a full understanding, racism is often studied by means of both white and black people, while being analyzed and critically evaluated from both such perspectives as well. In his piece “The Bad Faith of Whiteness,” Robert Birt is one such philosopher who elaborates and expands upon this term “bad faith” from which racism has the ability to stem. In Lewis Gordon’s book “Existencia Africana” he claims, “that racism is a form of dehumanization, and that dehumanization is a form of bad faith” (Gordon 85). Such a claim sums up the concept nicely, but as others have continued to write about in their works, there is more complexity to this issue, and that other racist ideas and explanations can further be connected back to this matter.
Racism comes in many forms ad can be expressed in many different societies in various ways. 1 The dictionary defines racism as the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. This definition of racism makes it clear that it is a perceived point of view that implies prejudice towards people or a person based solely on their race. Racism has been an issue in many societies for many years and still is an issue in modern society. 2 Recently in the U.S. many cases of racism towards African Americans have been shown in the media. However racism is not just a U.S. culture based issue but also a cross-cultural issue
Racist and racism are provocative words in American society. To some, they become curse words. They are descriptive words of reality that cannot be denied. Some people believe that race is the primary determinant of human abilities and capacities and behave as if racial differences produce inherent superiorities. People of color are often injured by these judgements and actions whether they are directly or indirectly racist. Just as individuals can act in racist ways, so can institutions. Institutions can be overtly or inherently racist. Institutions can also injure people. The outcome is nonetheless racist, if not intentional (Randall).
middle of paper ... ... CRT scholars criticize the incapacity of legal discourse because it only addresses the most crude forms of racism and not the more complex forms of racism which are ingrained in nowadays’s society (Gillborn, 2008). This critique does not attempt to diminish the significance of civil rights, it criticizes traditional’s legal doctrine of inability to deal with subtle and invisible forms of racism (Gillborn, 2008). Moreover, civil rights crusade, is a long and slow process, which has not yet brought the desired social change and as CRT scholars argue the beneficiaries of this legislation was the Whites (Ladson-Billings, 2004).
Racism can simply be a mans fear of anything different, a fear of something he doesn’t understand. This fear is embedded or can be embedded in the attitudes reaching from one generation to another. It can be reinforced by ones culture, community and personal experience. These texts have explored all of the above areas and the responder can also appreciate that behaviour is a response to attitudes and the suffering, humiliation and destructive treatment of other human beings can at times be lessened or illuminated by the courage of one man and his or her determination to do what they think is right.
Racism is based on the belief that one’s culture is superior to that of others, and this racial superiority provides justification for discrimination. Racism begins with categorising by race, and therefore stereotyping particular cultures. A simple definition of prejudice given by St Thomas Aquinas states prejudice as “thinking ill of others without sufficient cause” (1. pg 21). Racism is a major issue in today’s society, affecting a large number of the world’s population and causing political and social turmoil. To evaluate the true meaning, effects and views concerning racism in today’s world, a number of literature sources were researched including novel, films, short stories, poetry, song lyrics, textbooks and magazine articles.
Why does it exist? What determines you to be racist? Claudia Bernard and Carlos Hoyt Jr. discuss the realms of racism, how they work in society, and how education can help the social work practice be effective for the economy. Hoyt defines racism as “the belief that all members of a purported race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or other race.” (Hoyt, 2012) He believes that there is great dispute among society of how racism is to be interpreted. The dispute is whether its meaning describes superior or inferior people based on racial ethnicity or if it should describe the use of power and conserving it. Hoyt (2012) pointed out that the reason of the holocaust being racist was not in the killing but was based on the inferiority belief that they had toward Jewish people. The main argument is that racism means power; therefore anyone of any race with power can be considered racist when using that power to oppress and have prejudice beliefs of another group of people or
“Racism is generally defined as actions, practices or beliefs, or social or political systems that are based in views that see the human species to be divided into races with shared traits, abilities, or...