Lot's Wife Edition 4 2016

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Brocrates: misogyny in philosophy
is a philosophy bro (also known as a ‘philosobro’)?
A philosophy bro is a man who thinks he knows a
lot about philosophy, or perhaps even does know a lot about
philosophy, and he definitely thinks he knows more than you
(unless you’re Peter Singer, whom philosobros tend to admire).
They are usually found in the undergraduate philosophy
classroom, Monash Philosophy Society, and sometimes in
Wholefoods. You might be able to spot them by keeping an eye
(or ear) out for men speaking loudly, name-dropping philosophers,
and using overly complicated vocabulary and philosophy
jargon. In class, or group discussions, they might repeat
everything you’ve just said as if it were an entirely new and
original point, speak over you, not listen to you, or mansplain
something to you that you definitely already know.
Philosobros prize rationality and reason, and are seemingly
still influenced by the stereotype that women are irrational
and emotional, which may be why they love to talk down to
us, or assume we don’t know what we’re talking about. It’s not
uncommon for women to not have their points taken up by
philosobros until they’ve been repeated by other men. They
seriously just don’t listen. On the occasion that they do listen
to you, they’ll probably try pretty hard to derail the conversation.
“I see your point but your argument is not clear. Where
are the premises? What is your conclusion?” and “Have you
got anything more than anecdotal evidence to back that up?”
are common expressions you may hear philosobros spouting.
Anecdotal evidence is absolutely not acceptable, and if you do
have empirical evidence to back up your premises, it had better
be of statistical significance, otherwise it won’t be regarded
worthy of their consideration.
All of this points to philosophy’s problem with women. It’s
not very well known, in fact I didn’t realise until I was in the
third year of my philosophy major, that philosophy is male
dominated. It’s like the STEM of Arts. The main authors in almost
all subsets of philosophy are predominantly male, philosophy
departments tend to average 30% female staff (it’s worse
in the UK and North America), and top philosophy journals
publish way more men than women. Monash has never had
a female professor in philosophy, women hit the glass ceiling
by Lauren Karas
Illustration by Angus Marian
when they reach the level of associate professor. While many
Arts disciplines were similarly male dominated a few decades
ago, most of them have remedied their problems and now have
a decent gender balance. Philosophy lags behind, and philosophy
bros are a contributing factor.
When you’re frequently disrespected, not listened to, repeated,
and spoken over, it’s pretty easy to become disenchanted
with a discipline. Combine that with the combative style of
argument philosophy often requires and underrepresentation
of women at senior levels, and you have a pretty unwelcoming
environment for women. So, philosobros, and other men studying
philosophy who don’t consider themselves philosobros,
here are some things to consider when you’re philosophising:
How much are you speaking? Are you taking up the whole
conversation?
Are you listening carefully to what other people, especially
women, are saying?
Is it your turn to speak? Have you raised your hand? Did
someone else in your class raise their hand before you?
Don’t depend on your tutor to moderate class discussions,
we’re all adults at university, and you should really know
how to respectfully engage in a discussion by now.
And, to the women interested in philosophy but deterred
by those pesky philosobros, don’t let them stop you! There are
loads of amazing women philosophers to look up to, and things
are slowly changing in the discipline. You’re just as capable as
that guy in your tute who can’t shut up about Kant or Žižek.
While it’s understandable, it’s an awful shame to see brilliant
women dropping out of philosophy.
Finally, it’s very important to note that philosophy has a
problem with diversity generally. It’s not just women who are
excluded and underrepresented, but pretty much all marginalised
groups. Philosophy has a long way to go before it becomes
a truly diverse discipline, and defeating the philosobros is only
one step of the process.
Lot’s Wife | 21