Metaphysics Work-in-Progress Group (Tuesday - Week 8, TT22)

metaphysics work in progress group

Lara Scheibli will lead discussion of “Categorical Injustice” by Ásta (https://doi.org/10.1111/josp.12318). Pre-reading is not necessary and Lara will give a presentation of the paper’s main points.

The abstract for the paper is as follows: “Some of the most exciting research in philosophy in the last couple of decades has been work at the intersection of theoretical and practical philosophy from a feminist perspective. The work I present here is in that vein, as it lies at the intersection of metaphysics, feminist philosophy, and social philosophy. In my recent Categories We Live By (Ásta 2018), I presented an account of the construction of social categories of individuals. These include sexes, genders, and races, but also any other category defined by a social property, such as refugees and single mothers. In this essay, I will address a specific way in which such social construction can involve an injustice that is distinctly metaphysical. I name this sort of injustice “categorical injustice” and it occurs when agents are systematically thwarted in their attempts at performing actions by how they are socially constructed.”

Anyone interested in attending the seminar, please email Alex Kaiserman in order to be added to the mailing list.


Metaphysics Work-in-Progress convenors: Alex Kaiserman and Nick Jones