In a previous post, I underscored the fact that disability has been left out of discussions in philosophy about how implicit biases condition deliberations in hiring, publication, and promotion. To do so, I excerpted a section from the manuscript of my book in which I explain some of what has been precluded from these discussions that have focused almost exclusively on gender and race. In my book, I argue furthermore that the preoccupation in philosophy with implicit biases and other psychological phenomena has obscured the ways that distinctive research agendas and constructs in philosophy have contributed to the exclusion of disabled philosophers and the marginalization of philosophy of disability. I also note the contested character of research on implicit bias and in particular the contested validity of, and low replicability of results derived from, the I.A.T. (Implicit Association Test), the diagnostic tool which has, of course, propelled the interest in implicit biases.
A new Quartz article which includes remarks from philosophers Edouard Machery and Luvell Anderson further substantiates the hitherto critiques of the idea of implicit bias and the I.A.T., as well as poses additional sociological and political questions about the widespread use of both the idea of implicit bias and the I.A.T. itself. Here is an excerpt from the Quartz article:
It’s highly plausible that the scientists who created the IAT, and now ardently defend it, believe their work will change the world for the better. Banaji sent me an email from a former student that compared her to Ta-Nehisi Coates, Bryan Stevenson, and Michelle Alexander “in elucidating the corrosive and terrifying vestiges of white supremacy in America.”
Greenwald explicitly discouraged me from writing this article. “Debates about scientific interpretation belong in scientific journals, not popular press,” he wrote. Banaji, Greenwald, and Nosek all declined to talk on the phone about their work, but answered most of my questions by email.
I saw a similar reluctance to criticize implicit bias among friends and colleagues. Taking the test, and buying into the concept of implicit bias, feels both open-minded and progressive.
The entire Quartz article is here.
posted by Shelley
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