Why a dearth still of female philosophers? “The problem is not men as such …”

From the Guardian about Mary Midgley:

She was one of an extraordinary group of female philosophers at Oxford during the war that comprised Philippa Foot, Iris Murdoch, Elizabeth Anscombe and Mary Warnock, all of whom went on to work in moral philosophy or ethics. Was that a coincidence, I ask, or was it a female response to the male world of logical positivism that dominated British philosophy at that time?

…

In a recent letter to the Guardian, explaining why she thought there was a shortfall in women philosophers, she wrote: “The trouble is not, of course, men as such – men have done good enough philosophy in the past. What is wrong is a particular style of philosophising that results from encouraging a lot of clever young men to compete in winning arguments. These people then quickly build up a set of games out of simple oppositions and elaborate them until, in the end, nobody else can see what they are talking about.”

It has remained one of Midgley’s principles to write in such a way that the maximum number of people can see what she’s talking about. The philosopher and historian Jonathan Rée says: “She has always written in a language that’s not aimed at the cleverest graduate student. She’s never been interested in the glamour and greasy pole” associated with Oxbridge and London.

What do you think?  Is this a good candidate for inclusion in the explanations for women’s absence?

Consent education in a song

Rachel Lark, daughter of philosophers Louise Antony and Joe Levine, offers a brilliant education in consent– in a single song, which manages to be both powerful and funny. To manage a witty, enjoyable yet educational song on this topic is an amazing feat. I’d love to see her brought in to universities as part of their consent education programmes.

Access to Work Funding Cut

The UK government is quietly cutting the Access to Work funding that pays for things such as computer software and support workers that enable disabled people to gain employment.

Advisers have guidance on what AtW now does and doesn’t cover, but because the changes haven’t been published, all we can put our hands on is that limits have been imposed on the amount of support worker hours that are permitted and major restructuring in how AtW is being delivered has led to delays in people’s money.

Deaf people who need sign language interpreters have been particularly penalised, with the cuts to support workers’ hours. Jenny Sealey, who runs a disabled-led theatre company that employs 80 deaf and disabled people every year, has gone from co-directing the Paralympic 2012 opening ceremony to being left “in fear” for her career after her support was cut by half. It gives some insight into the mindset of those with their hands on the controls that they can promote the need to get disabled people into work while enacting measures that make it impossible.

You can read more here.

Asylum – New Home Office Rules Make Appeals Harder

New Home Office rules mean that from Monday 26th January, asylum seekers whose cases have been turned down will need to travel to Liverpool to submit fresh evidence in support of their claim – no matter where they are in the country. As asylum seekers are some of the poorest people in the UK – many are destitute – this will, in many cases, put justice out of their reach. It’s worth noting that a sizeable number of cases that are initially turned down go through on appeal. (I will try to find figures later.)

An Early Day Motion has been tabled Julian Huppert. If you feel so inclined, you could write and ask your MP to sign it.