Lewis Gordon facts for kids

Lewis Ricardo Gordon (born May 12, 1962) is an American philosopher. He teaches at the University of Connecticut. He studies many important ideas, including Africana philosophy, existentialism, and how people experience the world (called phenomenology). He also writes about social and political ideas, postcolonial thought, and what causes racism.

Gordon is especially known for his work on Africana and black existentialism. He also writes a lot about the ideas of famous thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and Frantz Fanon. His most recent book is called Fear of Black Consciousness.

Lewis Gordon's Career

Gordon finished his first degree at Lehman College, CUNY, in 1984. He then earned his Master's and PhD degrees in philosophy from Yale University in 1993.

After his studies, Gordon taught at several universities. These included Brown University, Yale, Purdue University, and Temple University. Today, he is a professor of Philosophy and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut. He also teaches as a visiting professor in France and South Africa.

Studying Race and Society

At Temple University, Gordon led the Institute for the Study of Race and Social Thought. This group researches the complex ways race and racism affect society. They work on projects like understanding Afro-Latin American cultures and studying Black Civil Society.

Gordon also helped create the center for Afro-Jewish Studies. This center provides reliable information about African and African-descended Jewish people. Gordon believes that Jewish people have always been a "mixed-race" group. He says they have been mixed since they left Egypt.

Gordon also started the Second Chance Program at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, New York. He is married to Jane Anna Gordon.

Gordon's Ideas and Philosophy

Lewis Gordon's work explores deep questions about human life and society. He focuses on how people experience the world, especially when dealing with issues like race and freedom.

Understanding Black Existentialism

Gordon is a leading expert in black existentialism. This way of thinking looks at what it means to be human, especially for Black people. His first book, Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism (1995), explored how racism affects people's lives.

He explains "bad faith" as when people deny their own freedom and responsibility. It's like pretending you don't have choices. Gordon says racism is a form of bad faith because it denies the reality and humanity of others. He believes we should aim for "critical good faith." This means being honest about facts and taking responsibility in the world.

What Racism Really Is

Gordon argues that racism is a rejection of another person's humanity. Since all people are human, racism goes against reality. A racist tries to avoid this truth. He says racism attacks people's physical presence and their unique viewpoints.

Gordon also explains that racists are not necessarily irrational. Instead, they use a "racist rationality." This means they think in a way that makes sense only within their racist beliefs. He believes that bad feelings or anger come from racist thinking, rather than causing it.

Ethics and History

Gordon believes that fighting anti-black racism doesn't mean we have to see Black and white people as exactly the same. Instead, it means respecting Black people for who they are. He says that love and respect don't always need people to be similar.

In his book Existence in Black, Gordon shows how black existentialism looks at themes like freedom, suffering, and death. These ideas are explored through the real-life experiences of anti-black racism and colonialism. He points out that Black people often have to justify their existence in ways that white people do not.

Gordon also discusses "black invisibility." This is a strange idea because Black people are often very visible. But their experiences and humanity can be ignored or made invisible by society.

How Colonialism Affects Our View of the World

Gordon is known for creating "postcolonial phenomenology." This is a way of studying how colonialism affects how people see and understand the world. He calls it "Africana phenomenology" or "de-colonial phenomenology."

He suggests we use "ontological suspension." This means pausing our usual ways of thinking to see how our ideas about reality might be wrong. Gordon believes that philosophy should question its own methods. This helps it resist "epistemological colonization," which is when one way of thinking takes over others.

Gordon's ideas help us understand how racism and colonialism are part of everyday life. He says that even in difficult situations, people try to live as if things are normal. But racism makes it so one group lives normally, while another lives under extraordinary conditions. This creates "double standards."

Reason and Rationality

Gordon argues that Western thought often links "reason" too closely with "rationality." He believes reason is much broader than just being logical. Reason should be used to judge if something is truly rational. For example, something can be very logical (rational) but still be unfair or unreasonable.

In his books, Gordon and Jane Anna Gordon discuss how to use knowledge to build up, not just tear down. They suggest that we don't have to use only the "master's tools" (old ways of thinking). Instead, we can create new ways of thinking that challenge old ideas. They also introduce the "pedagogical imperative." This means teachers have a duty to keep learning the most accurate picture of reality.

Gordon's Contributions to Society and Philosophy

Gordon sees all his work as part of a "humanist" tradition. He believes that thinkers should challenge what we know. He says that we achieve things as humans for all humanity, but we fail alone.

His work is also seen as a type of "existential sociology." This means it looks at how society affects our existence. His book Disciplinary Decadence is seen as important for understanding philosophy, education, and how different fields of study are formed.

Published Works

Lewis Gordon has written many articles, book chapters, and reviews. Here are some of his books:

• Fear of Black Consciousness (2022)
• Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization (2021)
• What Fanon Said: A Philosophical Introduction to his Life and Thought (2015)
• An Introduction to Africana Philosophy (2008)
• Disciplinary Decadence: Living Thought in Trying Times (2006)
• Her Majesty's Other Children: Sketches of Racism from a Neocolonial Age (1997)
• Existence in Black: An Anthology of Black Existential Philosophy, (editor) (1997)
• Fanon and the Crisis of European Man: An Essay on Philosophy and the Human Sciences (1995)
• Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism (1995)

Online Articles by Lewis Gordon

• Du Bois's Humanistic Philosophy of the Human Sciences, 2000
• A Philosophical Account of Africana Studies: An Interview with Lewis Gordon by Linda Martin Alcoff, 2003
• New Introduction to Steve Biko's I Write What I Like, 2005
• Africa-America Philosophy, Race and the Geography of Reason, 2006
• Through the Hellish Zone of Non-Being: Thinking Through Fanon, Disaster, and the Damned of the Earth, 2007
• The Market Colonization of Intellectuals,Truthout, 2010
• Of Illicit Appearance: The L.A. Riots/Rebellion as a Portent of Things to Come, Truthout, May 12, 2012
• Manifesto of transdisciplinarity. Lewis Gordon, "To not become slaves of knowledge of others", 2011

See also

In Spanish: Lewis Gordon para niños

• Africana philosophy § List of Africana philosophers