The Department of Philosophy at Amherst welcomes all students, from those who would like to sample a course or two, to those who would like to major in the discipline and perhaps even study the subject in graduate school.
The Department of Philosophy at Amherst welcomes all students, from those who would like to sample a course or two, to those who would like to major in the discipline and perhaps even study the subject in graduate school.
Myisha Cherry, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of California - Riverside. will be presenting a lecture on "The Misuses of Anger: Audre Lorde, Self-Hatred, and the Anger it Fuels" on Thursday, April 20 in Pruyne Lecture Hall, Fayerweather.
Abstract: In this talk I consider and examine Audre Lorde’s account of and recommendations for dealing with self-hatred and anger. Instead of viewing Lorde’s solution as anger management, I read it as a form of self-empowerment that is a politically efficacious tool rather than an individualized self-help solution. I also think of ways in which anger born out of self-hatred might co-exist with anti-racist anger – yet make it incomplete and less powerful. Overall, I hope to show how Lorde’s thinking on anger, as well as other emotions such as hate, disgust, and contempt is much more complex than philosophers have assumed. I also demonstrate that Lorde offers increasing insights for thinking about the affective ways that oppression works, and provides various affective resources to resist such oppression in order for agents to thrive on their own terms.
Tommie Shelby, Caldwell Titcomb Professor of African and African American Studies and of Philosophy, Harvard University will present a lecture entitled "The Idea of Prison Abolition: Slavery and Its Legacy," on Thursday, March 30, 2023, as part of the Forry and Micken Lecture Series on "Racial Justice",
Abstract: Angela Davis and other leading abolitionist thinkers in the black radical tradition object to prisons on numerous grounds. One objection questions the legitimacy of the practice of imprisonment because of its similarity to, and historical connection with, practices of enslavement. In this lecture, Shelby critically engages with this influential objection. He highlights its power but also explores its limits, and he draws lessons from this engagement for criminal justice reform in the United States and elsewhere.
What is philosophy? Why Study Philosophy? Here are just a few of the many reasons.
Learn MoreAn Amherst philosophy education conveys a sense of wonder about ourselves and our world, through exploration of philosophical texts and personal engagement with philosophical issues.
Learn MoreEvery year, the Amherst Lecture in Philosophy brings a distinguished philosopher to campus for a public lecture.
Learn MoreThe teaching of philosophy has a rich history at Amherst College.
Learn MoreMeet our alumni, including those teaching philosophy at colleges and universities around the world.
Learn MoreU.S. citizens are currently faced with many important decisions about health care policy. Who should have access to health care and to which services? Should abortion remain legal? We will examine the many issues that these basic questions raise.
This course focuses on understanding the relationship between economic exploitation and racial oppression, the nature and functions of racial ideology, and the mechanisms by which racial inequality is reproduced.
Music is sometimes described as a language, but what, if anything, does Charlie Parker’s “Ah-Leu-Cha” say to us? What exactly is a musical work anyway? And what makes for a performance of one or the other (or of no work at all)?