Woke plan to ‘decolonise’ philosophy ‘erasing achievements of West’

Academics have become embroiled in a furious scrap over a university’s decision to sideline philosophers such as Aristotle and Socrates in favour of ‘decolonising’ classroom learning by getting rid of ‘dead white men’. 

A new toolkit for schools and universities was produced by SOAS University of London, formerly the School of Oriental and African Studies.

New-age thinkers who are being recommended instead include an Indian-American feminist, a Nigerian ‘gender theorist’ and a Japanese zen expert.

The toolkit dismisses the study of classical Greek thinkers Aristotle, Plato and Socrates as ‘armchair theorising’.

But the guidance produced by SOAS academics aimed at ‘decolonising’ philosophy has been eviscerated by anti-woke academics, who said that it erased ‘the identity and extraordinary achievements of Western civilisation.’

The university says the approach should ‘help empower students to think of themselves as active participants in curriculum and assessment design’.

Dr Paul Giladi, one of the co-creators, said: ‘Thinking back to my own years at university, I saw that my philosophical training had been blind to, even uninterested in, the wealth of wisdom from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Indigenous communities.

‘Why it was blind was something I couldn’t fully explain as an undergraduate.

‘Only later in my academic career was I able to recognise that the learning environment shaping my training was not designed to promote critical thinking.

‘Learning was orientated towards obeying and reproducing an already agreed philosophical tradition that we are not meant to challenge.’

But Christopher McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, blasted ‘woke’ academics for rolling out the new toolkit.

He told MailOnline: ‘This new toolkit is part of the aggressive Woke imperialism that is subjugating our universities.

‘Decolonising the philosophy curriculum is “code for” erasing the identity and extraordinary achievements of Western civilisation.

‘The reason why certain philosophers are more central than others is to do with the profundity of their understanding of the human condition.

‘When the Oracle of Delphi announces that Socrates was the wisest of all men he responded by saying that he knew nothing but that, unlike other philosophers, he knew that he knew nothing.

‘The new “toolkit” for decolonisation has all the arrogance and certainty that was highlighted by Socrates.’

Lashing out at the move, Exeter University historian Prof Jeremy Black told MailOnline: ‘This is a totally juvenile approach by staff and students alike – one that fails to understand that issues of quality and scholarship trump those of flag waving on behalf of particular groups.’ 

Among the ‘new voices’ suggested by the guide is Nishida Kitaro, a Japanese philosopher whose multicultural school of thought is said to ‘challenge eurocentrism’.

Also included is Uma Narayan, an Indian scholar of philosophy who ‘criticises culture-reductionist forms of postcolonial feminism’.

And African philosophers Kwasi Wiredu – developer of ‘conceptual decolonisation’ – and Nkiru Nzegwu, a leading African theorist of gender are also recommended.

The toolkit is being made available on the SOAS website as an online platform for education providers.

It was produced by four undergraduate student interns and four academic philosophers at SOAS, the Times reported.

The guide describes how mainstream curriculum teaching is ‘predominantly focused on canonical western philosophers offering in-depth retrospections of their own experiences’. 

The toolkit adds: ‘A lot of the epistemological discourse also involves “armchair theorising”.’

The authors recommend a curriculum which does include Plato but also adds works with titles such as Knowledges Born in the Struggle, Conceptualising Epistemic Oppression, On Being White: Thinking Towards a Feminist Understanding of Race and Race Supremacy and Knowledge Sovereignty among African Cattle Herders.

They also suggest teachers should better understand their role in ‘racist systems’.

The guidance adds: ‘Without this intellectual insight, it is impossible to even find the root of the problem, let alone begin to address it.

‘The teacher in a decolonial classroom must learn to learn from the perspectives and knowledge systems of the students and to unlearn their own colonially mediated assumptions and background knowledge.

‘Unlearning means stopping oneself from always wanting to correct, teach and enlighten. Rather, the teacher should be prepared to forgo a singularly authoritative role and be a facilitator of, and participant in, good learning.’

Also proposed is an end to exams, pen-and-paper tests and essays – said to unfairly hinder students who are neurotypical or from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Blogs, podcasts, exhibitions, case studies and infographics are suggested as potential alternatives for assessing philosophy pupils.

SOAS, where more than half of the intake is from ethnic minority backgrounds, describes itself as having ‘an exceptionally diverse student body’ and says its mission is to ‘recruit and teach diverse students’.

Alumni include Myanmar politician Aung San Suu Kyi, journalist and screenwriter Jemima Khan, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and the late US singer and activist Paul Robeson.