"The Truth of Race: The Philosophical Thought of W. E. B. Du Bois"

This lecture argues that W. E. B. Du Bois should be recognized not only as a historian, sociologist, literary theorist, novelist, activist, and editor, but also—crucially—as a philosopher. His questions and insights into the concept of race and the debate amongst philosophers about how to interpret them were foundational in shaping the philosophy of race as a distinct subfield. To substantiate this, I examine several of Du Bois’s major works, highlighting how their arguments continue to inform and challenge contemporary debates across multiple areas, theory of truth, social metaphysics, the philosophy of social science, epistemic democracy, and aesthetics.

Bio

Kimberly Ann Harris is a 2025 visiting fellow at the W. E. B. Du Bois Center and Assistant Professor in the Corcoran Department of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on African-American philosophy, philosophy of race, and nineteenth-century philosophy. She is currently completing a monograph on W. E. B. Du Bois.

Livestream link.