Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

182 | Sally Haslanger on Social Construction and Critical Theory

Jan 31, 2022

Sally Haslanger, the Ford Professor of Philosophy at MIT, dives deep into how our perceptions shape reality, discussing social constructionism's influence on concepts like race and gender. She argues that these categories are human-made, challenging natural determinism and emphasizing the need for critical examination. The conversation explores the societal dynamics of gender, the role of technology in empowerment, and the urgency of addressing inequities. Haslanger advocates for embracing diverse identities and making small changes in daily practices to promote social justice.

01:37:34

Episode guests

Sally Haslanger

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Concept of Social Construction

02:57

[[Social construction emphasizes continegency though not necessarily malleability]]

02:21

What Is Critical Theory?

05:06

Social construction in practice

02:51

Intro

2min

Unpacking Social Constructionism

19min

Exploring Social Constructs: Gender, Race, and Human Creation

3min

Social Constructs: Gender and Technology

14min

Exploring Social Constructs: Money, Gender, and Safety

4min

Navigating Gender Identity and Social Constructs

20min

Challenging Gender Norms and Social Constructions

4min

Gender Dynamics and Social Spaces

4min

Rethinking Social Constructs

29min

10.

Navigating Social Change: Challenges and Responses

4min

Reality is just out there — but how we perceive reality and talk about it depends on choices we human beings make. We decide (consciously or not) to conceptualize the world in certain ways, whether it’s because those ways provide elegant predictive descriptions or because they serve a more subtle political purpose. To get at the true nature of reality, therefore, it’s important to think about which aspects of it are socially constructed, and why. I talk with Sally Haslanger about these issues, and the techniques we can use to understand the world and make it a better place.

Update (22 March): Our discussion here could have (and did) leave some listeners with the wrong impression of how Sally and I feel about trans rights -- we are entirely for them! My fault for not making things more clear during the conversation. So I have added a brief note during the podcast intro to make our position perfectly explicit. Thanks to everyone who commented.

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Sally Haslanger received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently the Ford Professor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among her awards are the Carus Lectureship, the Distinguished Woman Philosopher award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is the author of several books, including Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique.

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