Sophia Whicher simply accomplished her MA in Philosophy on the University of Toronto. She is within the philosophy of affection and private relationships, and feminist philosophy. In her spare time, she enjoys partaking in sparkly conversations together with her family members, touring, and consuming good meals.
What excites you about philosophy?
What excites me about philosophy as a follow is the way in which it encourages us to be interested by ourselves and the world. I feel philosophy is essential as a result of it calls for that we query the assumptions working within the background of our interactions with the texts we learn, the media we eat, and, in fact, each other. I feel that approaching tough conversations with a philosophical angle provides us a lens by which to be each inquisitive and non-combative. For me, a philosophical angle is one which goals not at clinging to at least one’s personal viewpoint above all others to be ‘proper’, however quite goals on the reality. If we’re actually within the reality, and we take standpoint epistemology significantly, then we should always at first assume that different individuals’s experiences and the insights these experiences give them entry to are sources of helpful data. It turns into our process to, collectively, work out what every of our viewpoints tells us about one another and the world, and the way we’d have the ability to reconcile them with each other and navigate the (usually messier) image of the world we’re confronted with because of this. So embracing a philosophical angle provides us a option to method battle that doesn’t pit us basically in opposition to each other, however quite asks us to see our conversational counterparts as companions quite than opponents.
What are you engaged on proper now?
Proper now, I’m engaged on a paper that explores the connection between which means in life and our private relationships. I argue that an essential and missed dimension of which means in life is the phenomenon of experiencing worth collectively. Moreover, I argue that an intrinsic good of our private relationships is the way in which that they contribute to which means in life by permitting us to expertise worth collectively– maybe significantly worth that’s grounded in shared relational historical past.
I’m additionally engaged on writing instances for Ethics Bowl Canada. The Ethics Bowl (which originated within the States), is a country-wide initiative that’s similar to a debate membership, besides that as an alternative of encouraging its individuals to cling to a specific place with a purpose to win a spherical, we encourage individuals to prioritize getting nearer to the reality. Every spherical entails two instances that tackle totally different (however usually associated) moral points. Workforce A articulates their view on Case 1, after which Workforce B offers an objection or asks for additional elaboration on what Workforce A offered. Workforce A then responds to this objection or request for elaboration, usually by revising their authentic place. The groups swap roles to handle Case 2. I’m captivated with public philosophy and pedagogy, and I really like how the Ethics Bowl makes philosophy as a follow (and never simply one thing to learn) extra accessible.
What’s your favourite quote?
I’ve two:
“The second we select to like we start to maneuver in the direction of freedom, to behave in ways in which liberate ourselves and others.” – bell hooks
“Isn’t it splendid to consider all of the issues there are to search out out about? It simply makes me glad to be alive– it’s such an fascinating world. It wouldn’t be half so fascinating if we all know all about all the things, wouldn’t it? There’d be no scope for the creativeness then, would there?” – L. M. Montgomery in Anne of Inexperienced Gables
What’s your poison? (Favourite drink.)
I’m a Gin and Tonic lady, and I really like a glass of Sangiovese. I additionally love martinis, however I feel what makes me love them a lot is the ‘aesthetic’. By ‘aesthetic’ I imply the entire vibe that sitting in a bar sipping a martini provides off. I affiliate martinis with being fancy, unbiased, and slightly mysterious. As soon as I took myself out to a pleasant bar, and I used to be trying ahead to sitting right down to learn Amia Srinivasan’s The Proper to Intercourse: Feminism within the twenty first Century and sipping a martini (completely not impressed by the primary line of this article). The bar was significantly busy, and I feel all of their martini glasses will need to have been in use as a result of mine got here in a snifter glass. The audacity! However significantly, I might hardly get by a few sips of it. I feel the intuitive clarification for that is that I don’t really just like the style of martinis, however their ‘vibe’ makes the expertise of ingesting one pleasurable on the entire: feeling fancy and unbiased and slightly mysterious outweighs the unhealthy style. And that vibe simply occurs to rely upon the martini being clearly distinguishable as a martini, which requires it to be served within the correct glass. However this clarification doesn’t match with my expertise in any respect; the vibe really makes the martini itself style higher, I swear! What’s happening right here?
It’s really fairly becoming that I used to be studying The Proper to Intercourse after I got here to this realization about martinis. In two of the essays on this guide (“The Proper to Intercourse” and “Coda: The Politics of Want”), Srinivasan makes an essential commentary about our needs (particularly, our sexual needs): Our needs are usually not innate, and they don’t seem to be fashioned in a vacuum; they’re formed by the world round us (as an example, they’re formed by the oppressive magnificence requirements which might be perpetuated by media). Srinivasan asks us to think about what it might imply to ‘liberate’ our needs from the oppressive social constructions wherein they’re fashioned. Liberating our needs doesn’t imply rejecting or repressing them, or labeling a few of them ‘good’ and a few of them ‘unhealthy’. It simply means being interested by the place they arrive from, asking ourselves if they are surely ours, what they inform us about ourselves and the world round us, and what it might imply to need in any other case. It means affirming our company by untangling what we would like from what politics tries to decide on for us. I’m wondering what it might imply to liberate all of our preferences on this means. To be extra interested by why we just like the issues we do. Not solely can this affirm our company, however I feel it may additionally get us nearer to the reality. Liking martinis isn’t a very political desire, however hey, being interested by my expertise with the snifter-martini has led me to query the belief that style is an ‘autonomous’ desire, divorced from our different aesthetic sensibilities… and I feel that may be a helpful philosophical perception!
This part of the APA Weblog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers slightly higher. We’re together with profiles of APA members that highlight what captures their curiosity not solely contained in the workplace, but additionally exterior of it. We’d love so that you can be part of it, so please contact us by way of the interview nomination form here to appoint your self or a buddy.
Alexis LaBar has a Grasp’s diploma in Philosophy from West Chester College of Pennsylvania. Earlier than attending West Chester, she graduated from Moravian College with a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, a minor in World Religions, and an Ethics certificates. She is the recipient of the 2022 Claghorn Award in Philosophy, awarded by West Chester College, and the 2021 Douglas Anderson Prize in Philosophy, awarded by Moravian College. She is the Editor of the Instructing Beat and Work/Life Steadiness Beat.
