Social Kind Essentialism

APSE-CEU-IVC Talks
The Philosophy Department of the Central European University, the Institute Vienna Circle and the Unit for Applied Philosophy of Science and Epistemology (of the Department of Philosophy of the University of Vienna) are jointly organizing a series of talks this term

Date: 01/12/2021 (Attention: Wednesday)

Time: 15h00

Online Plattform: The meeting will be online via Zoom | Talks in Philosophy of Science and Epistemology PSE

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Abstract:

There is widespread opposition to so-called essentialism in contemporary social theory. At the same time, the notion of essence has been revived and put to work in contemporary analytic metaphysics. Much of this literature on essence, however, has remained fairly insular. And in particular, it has made limited contact with discussions in social theory. The aim of this paper is to re-examine the prospects for essentialism in social theory, in light of these developments in the study of essence. My contention is that given a contemporary neo-Aristotelian construal of essence, social kind essentialism is a viable doctrine that provides a helpful framework for social theorizing. Specifically, I argue that neo-Aristotelian social kind essentialism avoids the main objections that social theorists have raised against other brands of social kind essentialism, and that it provides a helpful framework for projects in social construction and feminist metaphysics.