Charlotte Witt (born 27 September 1951) is an emeritus professor of philosophy and humanities at the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

Education and career

Witt double majored at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

, graduating in 1975 with degrees both classics and philosophy. She went on to receive her master's and doctorate in philosophy from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1978 and 1980, respectively. Witt is a Professor Emeritus of philosophy and the humanities at the University of New Hampshire, where she chaired the philosophy department from 2000 to 2003. In addition, she previously held appointments as a Visiting Professor at the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

, and Assistant Professor at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Research areas

Witt's research has generally focused on

ancient philosophy This page lists some links to ancient philosophy, namely philosophical thought extending as far as early post-classical history (). Overview Genuine philosophical thought, depending upon original individual insights, arose in many cultures ro ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

and

feminist theory Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or Philosophy, philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women's and men's Gender role, social roles, experiences, intere ...

. She has written extensively about the metaphysics of gender, about Aristotle (especially about Aristotelian metaphysics,) and

feminist metaphysics Feminist metaphysics aims to question how inquiries and answers in the field of metaphysics have supported sexism. Feminist metaphysics overlaps with fields such as the philosophy of mind and philosophy of self. Feminist metaphysicians such as S ...

. She has also written and spoken about the relationship between feminist philosophy and the traditional philosophical canon, arguing that feminist philosophy's enduring interest in the canon has been a process of historical self-justification (that is, justifying why feminist philosophy should exist,) and argues further that this is a process nearly identical to that that other emergent disciplines of philosophy undertook as they emerged. She has also published on the philosophy of adoption and the family. Writing in 1993 in ''A Mind of One's Own: Feminist Essays on Reason and Objectivity'', Witt described herself as subscribing, at least in part, to traditional philosophical paradigms that have found themselves under "feminist attack".

Publications

Witt has written four books: ''Substance and Essence in Aristotle'' (published in 1989), ''Ways of Being: Potentiality and Actuality in Aristotle's Metaphysics'' (2003), ''The Metaphysics of Gender'' (published in 2010), and ''Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms'' (published in 2023). She has also edited several volumes, including ''A Mind of One's Own: Feminist Essays on Reason and Objectivity'' (1992; revised and expanded second edition, 2001) and ''Adoption Matters: Feminist and Philosophical Essays'' (2005).

Ways of Being: Potentiality and Actuality in Aristotle's Metaphysics

''Ways of Being: Potentiality and Actuality in Aristotle's Metaphysics'' is focused on Aristotle's discussion of potentiality and actuality, found in ''Metaphysics'' IX. Witt argues that ''Metaphysics'' IX is not intended as a sequel to earlier books, but can stand on its own, since it contains a coherent argument (framed around an examination of different ways of existing) that is aimed at achieving a separate goal from the other volumes of Aristotle's

Metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

. Witt points to textual evidence in ''Metaphysics'' IX and earlier volumes in support of this claim, specifically the fact that Aristotle's earlier discussions of potentiality and actuality (found in ''Metaphysics'' VIII) are never linked to the discussion of those concepts in ''Metaphysics'' IX, the fact that ''Metaphysics'' IX differs significantly in topic from its predecessors, the fact that the view of reality portrayed in ''Metaphysics'' IX can only be understood within the framework provided by ''Metaphysics'' IX and the fact that, at the start of ''Metaphysics'' IX Aristotle states that he has finished his discussion of kinds of beings and will now move on to discuss ways of being.

The Metaphysics of Gender

In ''The Metaphysics of Gender'', Witt takes a strong stance in favor of

gender essentialism Gender essentialism is a theory which attributes distinct, intrinsic qualities to women and men. Based in essentialism, it holds that there are certain universal, innate, biologically (or psychologically) based features of gender that are at the ro ...

, arguing that gender is the fundamental unifying trait that creates and unifies all other social roles that people occupy, thus making gender essential to identity, and all other traits subsidiary. Witt argues that the proper role of feminism, rather than abolishing gender roles or simply giving women more choices, should be to reconfigure gender roles so that they are no longer oppressive to women.

References

External links

Charlotte Witt on PhilPapers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witt, Charlotte 1951 births Living people American women philosophers University of New Hampshire faculty Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences alumni Aristotelian philosophers Scholars of feminist philosophy 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers 21st-century American women