Annette Martin is a PhD candidate in philosophy at New York University. She works in social philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of race, and her current research concerns the social structural dimensions of ignorance. She is currently a councilmember on the APA’s Graduate Student Council.
What excites you about philosophy?
A friend recently gifted me the following haiku, written by one of those poets you can find around New York City with a typewriter and a “free poetry” sign:
Look underneath these
Questions we’ve been asking–
Real answers resound
I have the poem stuck to my fridge to periodically remind me of what I love most about philosophy. I remain optimistic that philosophy can help us develop tools to better understand and productively reason about really complex, difficult, important problems.
I also find it really exciting when questions in social philosophy end up leading me into all sorts of other areas of philosophy that I wouldn’t have suspected I’d end up thinking about. It can be overwhelming at times, but mostly it’s exciting to realize how rich these questions are.
What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on obliviousness (not on being oblivious, but theorizing about it).
Obliviousness (as I’m using the term) captures these interesting cases where an agent is not only ignorant of the fact that p, but has no idea that p— even though all of the information they need to know that p is right at their fingertips. So, for instance, we can think about the participants in the famous gorilla experiment who didn’t realize that a person in a gorilla suit had walked on and off screen. Or a case where a person of color is shopping at a store, isn’t wearing the employee uniform, and has a bunch of shopping bags, but nonetheless someone comes up to them to ask where such-and-such item is. Or a case where someone is organizing a conference in a building that they know really well, and yet doesn’t realize that their venue is wheelchair inaccessible. I want to say that although obliviousness is, or can involve, individual failings, social conditions set the stage for obliviousness about certain matters in really important ways.
This is one of those projects that has been drawing me into all sorts of interesting literatures (e.g. the ontology of evidence, hermeneutical injustice, seeing-as, logical omniscience, doxastic wronging, and default reasoning). It’s been a lot of fun!
What do you like to do outside work?
Last year I started the Lunalutions blog and embarked upon a project of completing one “lunalution” (or monthly resolution) for every month of 2018. The lunalutions ranged from facing old fears, to going vegan for a month, to drawing every day for 30 days. I’ve continued the project this year with a new slate of lunalutions and, as a result, my 30 days of yoga in January has turned into a very helpful daily yoga practice (alongside my other lunalutions). It’s been a really meaningful project for me and I highly recommend that people try out lunalutions!
What is your favorite book of all time? (Or top 3). Why? To whom would you recommend them?
I will name two series of books, the Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce, and the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery. I have many, many things to say about why I love these books, but I’ll try to keep it relatively brief.
First, Protector of the Small. Kel, the heroine, is a fierce inspiration to me, especially as a woman in a male-dominated field. She works incredibly hard, is stubbornly resolute, and achieves excellence. It’s also wonderful to occupy a world where there are so many deeply competent people who really care about their work and about doing what’s right. Plus, the books are delightfully funny. There’s always a well-wielded sharp tongue and lots of sarcasm and dry humor.
Second, Anne of Green Gables. I love the way these books highlight how much beauty and humor there is to be found in the little, everyday things. And I love how turn-of-the-century Anne is allowed to be smart and ambitious, and actually goes to college and earns her B.A.
I think these books are excellent for any young people who are coming of age and trying to figure out who they are. But I think people of all ages can find strength and comfort in them.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
I think she’d be a bit confused, but gratified to hear that I was reading and writing a lot (if not exactly the kind of reading and writing she would have expected). She’d also be delighted to learn that all that time spent mentally formulating arguments as to why her parents were wrong really paid off.
Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
My family is Cuban, and last year we took our first visit back to the island since my parents left 30 years ago. It was incredibly meaningful to visit these places I have heard so much about throughout my life, to see where my parents and grandparents grew up (in Santiago, Guane, and San Antonio del Sur), and to meet people who would have been integral parts of my life had I been raised there. It was a very bittersweet, beautiful experience.
What is your least favorite type of fruit and why?
I have sad memories of incredibly mediocre cantaloupe in the Carleton College dining halls during the winter, so I think it’s gotta be cantaloupe.
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
Definitely teleportation. (Or suuuper-fast travel, if teleportation makes you uncomfortable.)
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
