Should we cancel Aristotle? A thread
Here I’ll show why he’s problematic and why this might not be enough to cancel him.

First off. Who is Aristotle? 1/17

He was born outside of Athens in a wealthy, aristocratic family. His father was a doctor, & he received the best education in Athens at Plato’s Academy. He is known for his philosophical contributions + his study of biological specimens. 2/?

Some claim he is one of the first scientists and established the basis of a scientific method, so why is he problematic?

I won’t go over all of his philosophical ideas, but today I’m focusing on two main topics he discusses in “Politics:" his thoughts on women and slavery. 3/?

In Politics, Aristotle claims that some people are born to be slaves.
“Just as some are by nature free, so others are by nature slaves, and for these latter the condition of slavery is both beneficial and just.”

Aristotle has a ranking of “better men” and “lesser men.” 4/?

These ideas of certain people being “born better” are the basis of eugenics and race science.

Aristotle uses his knowledge of nature to justify his reasons, believing that ideas of superior races/ people are based on empirical observations of animals and other humans. 5/?

He argues that Greeks are superior to Europeans & Asians: “The peoples of Asia are endowed with skill & intelligence, but are deficient in spirit; & this is why they continue to be peoples of subjects & slaves.” Who else has ideas that certain groups are better than others? 6/?

Aristotle is very stereotypically sexist, saying that women are born submissive & unfit to rule.
He states that “The male is naturally fitter to command than the female.” To him, men are the only ones who are capable of being truly virtuous. 7/?

He also says that “The relation of the male 2 the female is permanently that in which the statesman stands 2 his fellow citizens.” For him, women+ some men are not supposed to be citizens of the polis. Greek women aren’t “born to be slaves,” but they are still below Greek men. 8/

While these ideas are extremely concerning to us as modern viewers, we should see if cancelling actually works.

For rich, influential white men like Aristotle, “cancelling” doesn’t affect their career. People would blame “radical leftist university students” being pc. 9/?

So, if cancelling him wouldn’t be effective, what should we do?

Aristotle will continue to appear on every Philosophy 101 syllabus; the framing that professors give it should change. 10/?

If Aristotle’s ideas really form the basis of “Western” thought, reading his racist/patriarchal ideas should lead us to critically analyze how many of these concepts form the basis of our legal, educational, & democratic institutions. 11/?

A discussion of how Aristotle’s ideas are still present in society is better than simply criticizing him and blaming his ideas on his cultural surroundings. Fredrick Douglass studied classical oratory. Aristotle’s writing are not inherently bad. However... 12/?

Modern Neo-Nazi & Alt-right movements have looked toward Classical Greek & Roman civilizations. According to Pinkowski, “Athenian eugenics, strictly-controlled reproduction that according to some ancient texts included infanticide of disabled babies inspire white supremacists.”

What does this mean for students of philosophy? Reading these texts without the correct framing can lead to incorrect ideas about who should be a philosopher.
Internalized biases have led to a strong gap in terms of people who are employed as philosophy professors.
14/?

In Contemporary Civilizations, we have only read one female writer. PhDs in philosophy have the lowest percentage of women when compared to all other domains of the humanities.
Estimates that black women in philosophy account for 0.004% of all faculty members. 15/17

To conclude this thread, I just want to acknowledge that what is considered "canon" not only reflects cultural prejudices, but also instills them in the students who see specific people as having certain authority over others. A critical and non-ethnocentrist view is necessary.

References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/04/06/aristotle-father-of-scientific-racism/
http://kieranhealy.org/files/misc/phil-by-discipline.pdf
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhcGFjb21taXR0ZWVvbnRoZXN0YXR1c29md29tZW58Z3g6NThlNmFiNTZjMTc5ZDE0Mw
http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/wphil/lectures/wphil_theme03.htm http://origins.osu.edu/article/beware-greeks-bearing-gifts-how-neo-nazis-and-ancient-greeks-met-charlottesville