The Kavka Prize is awarded for the best paper in a refereed journal, book chapter, or essay in the field of political philosophy. The American Philosophical Association announced the 2015 winner today was Carol Hay of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell for her paper in the Journal of Social Philosophy. Hay’s article, entitled, The Obligation to Resist Oppression, defends the controversial claim that people have an obligation to resist their own oppression which is rooted in their obligation to protect themselves. Next year’s APA Pacific conference symposium with be centered around the article. In honor of Ms. Hay’s success, Wiley is removing the paywall for the article until December 15th.
“After all, no one is oppressed in a social vacuum.” – Carol Hay, The Obligation to Resist
Organized in 6-parts, Hay’s article progresses from the Obligation to Resist through the Kantian theory that oppression harms ones Rational Nature, and further through which actions to take or not. It seems as though Hay has accomplished a full-spectrum review of the theory. Regardless if you agree, it’s certainly worth taking a look at.
If you would like to read an additional article by Carol Hay, she has also authored with Hypatia on the article, Whether to Ignore Them and Spin: Moral Obligations to Resist Sexual Harassment.
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