Preparation for Lectures 21 and 22: Philosophy and Race

Preparation for Lectures 21 and 22: Philosophy and Race

Reference: Isaac Kramnick, ed. The Portable Enlightenment Reader (London: Penguin, 1995).

Discussion questions.

1). What is race?

2). What is racism?

3). What is a phenotype?

4). What is a human?

5). What is Kant’s conception of human nature?

6). Why, for Kant, are all humans morally important?

7). Are there any moral issues concerning race in Japan?

8) Can you name any cases of Japanese people as either the victims or perpetrators of

racism?

9) What, in your opinion, is the cause of racism?

10) What are the differences between the Japanese and the Korean people? And are

these differences intrinsic, or contingent (caused by cultural or environmental factors,

for example?).

Reading Questions.

We will look at three texts from the 18^th Century, written by three of the most important moral philosophers in history- David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Paine.

a). Reading David Hume Essays, Political and Philosophical (1742)

1). Why does Hume think that ‘Negroes’ (Africans) are naturally inferior to whites?

2). What counterexample to Kant’s opinion does he discuss?

3). Is his discussion of this counterexample adequate?

b). Reading Immanuel Kant The Difference Between the Races (1764)

1). What does Kant say about Chinese culture? Are these comments fair, do you think?

2). What does Kant say about the Japanese? Are these comments fair, do you think?

3). What does Kant say about African religion?

4). (p. 639). Kant reports on a black man who considered sexual equality foolish. Kant suggests that the black man had said something intelligent, then decides that he was, in fact, stupid. Why?

5). Do any of Kant’s comments on Blacks in this essay contradict his moral philosophy?

c). Reading Thomas Paine African Slavery in America (1775)

1). According to Paine, how many blacks were enslaved annually? How many were killed after one year of enslavement?

2). It was argued that slaves are simply property, and so their sale and purchase was therefore legal. How does Paine reply?

3). What is the argument from Biblical authority? And how does Paine respond?

4). What does Paine suggest be done with freed slaves? Are his suggestions ethical? Why, or why not?