[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-40630-en":3,"doc-seo-40630-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},40630,1099514067415,"Rowan","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/100002539d78ffe74a7?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779092875211072502",2,"Literature","Of Racist Philosophers and Ravens","The article addresses a methodological and ethical problem in the history of philosophy: why scholars spend much of their work on historical thinkers who held racist views. Using the controversy surrounding the University of Edinburgh’s David Hume Tower as an entry point, the author argues that valuable philosophical ideas can be conceptually separated from the racist commitments of their authors. This supports continued engagement with historical philosophy without endorsing its discriminatory views.","Article  \nOf Racist Philosophers and Ravens  \nMichael B. Gill  \nDepartment of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; [mgill@exseed.ed.ac.uk](mgill@exseed.ed.ac.uk)[ ](mgill@exseed.ed.ac.uk)Submitted: 17 February 2023, accepted: 3 April 2023, published: 28 April 2023  \nAbstract: How can historians of philosophy justify spending the preponderance of their professional lives writing about historical philosophers who held racist views? I use the controversy over University of Edinburgh’s David Hume Tower as a jumping off place for discussion of this issue. I argue that worthwhile philosophical ideas in historical philosophers can be conceptually isolated from their racist views.  \nKeywords: David Hume Tower; racism; David Hume; John Stuart Mill; Immanuel Kant; John Locke  \nHow to cite: Gill, M. B. Of Racist Philosophers and Ravens Journal of Controversial Ideas 2023 , 3(1), 2; doi:10 .35995/jci03010002 .  \n©2023 Copyright by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4 .0) license.  \n1. The David Hume Tower  \nIn the middle of Edinburgh is a green space called George Square. The square is enclosed on all four sides by a fence of black iron poles with spearhead finials. On each of the four sides is a gate. When the gates are locked, the square sits empty and still, except for the darting of squirrels and the pecking of magpies. The square is such a green inviting place that it is hard to believe no one is allowed in. I have seen tourists walk around the entire square, pulling three or four times at each of the gates, unwilling to accept that all of them are truly locked.  \nMost days, however, the gates are open and anyone can enter. Inside the square, just past the gates, are nineteenth century lampposts. The lampposts have large trapezoidal lanterns, and are painted green with gold trim. Atop each lantern is a sculptured procession of maidens and unicorns.  \nAround the outer band of the square are casually arranged medium to large lime trees and sycamores. Beneath the limes and sycamores are clumps of bluebells, daffodils, and daisies. There are also tall grasses, which have been allowed to go to seed.  \nDirectly within the outer band of trees is a wide expanse of lawn. Single trees—oak, hawthorn, ash, alder—are placed throughout the lawn, so there are sunny spots and shady spots and spots that are sun dappled. On nice days, dozens of people dot the grass. Individuals lie on their stomachs and read. Pairs drink coffee. Groups of five picnic.  \nToward the middle of the square is a circle of beeches, variegated hollies (spikey dark green leaves with white edges), and laurel bushes. Along the inside of the circle is  \na path and a ring of benches. The benches are almost always occupied—by readers, by friends engaged in conversation, by couples engaged with each other. Within the circle of benches is a ring of daffodils and bluebells. Within the daffodils and bluebells—at the square’s centre—is a sea of ivy, out of which rise three wych elms. The wych elms are old and thick trunked, their crowns grown together to form a wide green canopy.  \nThe square dates from the 1760s. Some of the buildings from that time are still standing—on the west side of the square, and on half of the east. The original buildings are three storey stone and mortar terraced houses. The walls of some of them sport a “cherry cocking” design: embedded in the mortar between the large main blocks are columns of small stones, accented by elegant white pointing. The terraced houses are what you would hope to find if you were location scouting for a movie about distinguished citizens of Georgian Britain. Walter Scott lived in one of the terraced houses, as did Peter Mark Roget (of the thesaurus), Robert Louis Stevenson, and Arthur Conan Doyle.  \nBut most of the buildings surrounding the square are of twentieth century construction. The tallest, by far, is a thirt","cbCaigKIOJGfRTiH","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigKIOJGfRTiH","pdf",180349,4,1,20,"English","en",105,"# The David Hume Tower\n## Setting and Description of George Square\n## The 1760s Buildings and Historical Associations\n## The 1963 Tower: Completion and Early Controversy","[{\"question\":\"What controversy anchors the article’s discussion?\",\"answer\":\"The article uses the controversy over University of Edinburgh’s David Hume Tower as a starting point for broader reflection on teaching and writing about racist historical philosophers.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the central argument about historical philosophers’ racism?\",\"answer\":\"Worthwhile philosophical ideas in historical philosophers can be conceptually isolated from their racist views.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the article frame the issue for historians of philosophy?\",\"answer\":\"It questions how historians of philosophy can justify dedicating much of their professional lives to historical figures who held racist beliefs.\"}]",1783313550,31,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":28},"of-racist-philosophers-and-ravens","",{"@graph":36,"@context":84},[37,52,67],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,47,50],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/of-racist-philosophers-and-ravens/40630/",{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":41,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-14","2026-07-06",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"What controversy anchors the article’s discussion?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"The article uses the controversy over University of Edinburgh’s David Hume Tower as a starting point for broader reflection on teaching and writing about racist historical philosophers.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"What is the central argument about historical philosophers’ racism?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"Worthwhile philosophical ideas in historical philosophers can be conceptually isolated from their racist views.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"How does the article frame the issue for historians of philosophy?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"It questions how historians of philosophy can justify dedicating much of their professional lives to historical figures who held racist beliefs.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":51,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":51},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,96,99,103,108,113,118,123,127,130,134],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},80,"literature",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":104,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":126},9,"Religion & Spirituality","religion-spirituality",{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":129},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":133},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":135,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":137},19,"General","general"]