Institutionalized

Who Needs to be Institutionalized?

These discussion boards have been designed to explore controversial philosophical topics. Some of the questions are designed to solicit very personal responses and opinions, and these debates have the potential to become heated. In the act of creating ideas, heat can be a good thing, but not at the expense of hurt feelings or frustration. Remember that the practical aspect pf philosophy asks us to examine and perhaps even change something about ourselves. Hopefully, we will be challenged by others with a different opinion, but we need to remember that a challenge to our beliefs is not a threat. To the contrary, it should be regarded as an opportunity to re-evaluate and understand why we hold these beliefs.

Give some serious consideration to the topic or scenario before answering; and, then, using the questions below as a guide, write a 375 word paper about the issue being discussed. 

1. Do you think that patriarchy (rule by men) and racism are institutionalized in Western philosophy and culture? Why do you think so, or not?
2. Do you believe that members of different races think differently? How do you know? If so, to what do you attribute this difference—nature, nurture, education, choice, or something else?
3. What was the most intriguing thing you discovered while reading this chapter? Why did you find it to be interesting?