Abstract Underlying the enterprise of constructing an adequate theory of racism is the methodological question of whether philosophers should prioritize political philosophical investigation or moral philosophical investigation in social criticisms of racism. This debate has led to the construction of competing desiderata for judging the adequacy of a theory of racism. In this paper, I argue that in many, perhaps most, circumstances we should prioritize moral philosophical investigation into racism because the concepts, methodologies, and evaluative language primarily associated with moral philosophy provide a more comprehensive investigation into racism than those primarily associated with political philosophy. An upshot of my argument is that, when taken seriously, it allows social critics to foreground individual responsibility without precluding criticism of structures.
Ian Shane Peebles (Wed,) studied this question.