Skip to the main content

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.31820/ejap.19.1.4

Multidimensionalism, Resistance, and The Demographic Problem

Ian James Kidd ; University of Nottingham


Full text: english pdf 294 Kb

page S5-30

downloads: 436

cite


Abstract

Linda Martín Alcoff and others have emphasised that the discipline of philosophy suffers from a ‘demographic problem’. The persistence of this problem is partly the consequence of various forms of resistance to efforts to address the demographic problem. Such resistance is complex and takes many forms and could be responded to in different ways. In this paper, I argue that our attempts to explain and understand the phenomenon of resistance should use a kind of explanatory pluralism that, following Quassim Cassam, I call multidimensionalism. I describe four general kinds of resistance and consider varying explanations, focusing on those focused on vices and social structures. I argue that vice-explanations and structural- explanations are both mutually consistent and mutually entailing. If so, there is no need to choose between vice explanations and structural explanations or any other kinds of explanation. We can and should be multidimensionalists: using many together is better.

Keywords

explanation; pluralism; structures; vices; women in philosophy

Hrčak ID:

295890

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/295890

Publication date:

17.3.2023.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 1.536 *