Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Dayton Conference to Explore Diversity in Philosophy - Higher Education

Dayton Conference to Explore Diversity in Philosophy - Higher Education: Roughly 150 philosophers will gather at the University of Dayton next week from Wednesday to Friday, convening what will be the first diversity in philosophy conference to have the backing of the discipline’s leading membership organization, the American Philosophical Association (APA).

Organizers have high hopes for the message that APA sponsorship will be sending to the roughly 11,000 Ph.D.-holding philosophers largely working in U.S. colleges and universities. They also anticipate frank and honest discussions about what some say has traditionally been a less-than-friendly climate for gender and racial diversity in many philosophy departments around the nation.

“This is the first time the whole profession has agreed that we need to focus on this issue,” says Dr. Peggy DesAutels, a conference co-organizer and associate professor of philosophy at the University of Dayton.