Awhile back, there was an campaign to show all the different ways that philosophers can look, called "This is what a philosopher looks like." I thought this was a good project, with the goal of making a small dent in implicit bias, but it looks like it hasn't gotten any love in awhile; the last entry was in August, 2013. So, if you haven't sent in your photo and brief description yet, you might want to head on over there and submit your stuff!
6 responses to “This is what a philosopher looks like”
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As a bespectacled white male, who is moreover presently sporting a beard, I doubt my own portrait would contribute to fighting the stereotype of what a philosopher looks like, apart from the fact of my not being dead.
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And yet, many (seemingly) white males have posted pictures to the site. All are welcome. What I like about the pictures is that most show people doing non-stereotypically-academic things. That is a positive development in itself. Part of the problem, imo, is that we have a very narrow view of what sort of person a philosopher is, which contributes to only seeing certain people filling that role.
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I am not so sure about the narrow view. Very few people are one-sided. Most non-academic people I know expect me to have some sort of “nerdy” hobby (i.e., classical music or jazz instead of pop/rock, or something of that sort) but other than that I am not sure that they have a narrow view – they do seem to understand that people are not identical with their jobs.
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Maybe there’s no new stuff there for almost a year because administrators let it lapse?
I couldn’t get the submission interface to work, so I sent a pic and spiel via e-mail, but haven’t heard back. The e-mail didn’t bounce though.LikeLike
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Hmm, perhaps you’re right, Jon. That would be unfortunate.
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I actually meant perceptions within the profession — there is a sense that we are supposed to be working all the time — evenings, weekends, etc., and eschewing family obligations to go to conferences (APA during winter break). I see the internet starting to change that impression, though (especially Facebook), and this site is one piece of that.
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New APPS 
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