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The Open University

What can philosophy tell us about race?

The Open University via OpenLearn

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Overview

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Categorising human beings into races has had, and continues to have, an enormous impact on people’s lives. Many societies have been shaped by racial divisions and racial discrimination. Race continues to affect people’s experiences and personal identities today. This free course, What can philosophy tell us about race?, will introduce you to debates about the fundamental nature of race and racism, and encourage you to explore the ways in which philosophy matters for understanding the world around us.This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course DA223 Investigating philosophy.

Syllabus

  • 1 What is philosophy of race?
  • 2 Defining race
  • 3 Is race about ancestry?
  • 3.1 Comparing criteria for determining race
  • 3.2 Assessing your intuitions about race
  • Conscious Permanent Passing
  • Unconscious Passing
  • 4 Is race about power?
  • 4.1 Defining race as a position on a hierarchy
  • 4.2 Will race always exist?
  • 5 What is racism?
  • 5.1 Are racial fetishes racist?
  • 5.2 Challenging the Mere Preferences Argument

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3.3 rating at OpenLearn based on 3 ratings

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