Definition
Essentialism is a philosophical theory stating that different objects, concepts, or phenomena can be categorized by some inherent and unchanging characteristics. It can be applied to many fields, including philosophy, psychology, education, biology, and sociology.
For example, in the context of gender theory, essentialism is the belief that a person is inherently and permanently male and masculine or female and feminine, implying that males and females act differently fundamentally and thus have different life options.
History
Plato, a famous ancient Greek philosopher, was the first person to propose a theory of essentialism called the “Theory of the Forms.” The prototype of this theory started with his observations of the ability to use the same word to describe distinct objects in the world. Then, he expanded his thoughts to conclude that every named object could be categorized under some words, called their “essential essence,” although they may have distinct properties. For instance, despite the diversity among beds, they are all labeled as “beds” with the essential essence of “bedness.” This means that all single, double, or king-sized beds share an abstract idea of a bed. Subsequently, his student Aristotle expanded upon the theory, detailing the educational aspect of essentialism. His theory highlights that true knowledge is acquired by understanding things’ essential nature or definition. He believed that to accurately learn and understand a phenomenon, philosophers must comprehend the core essence that defines the phenomenon.
Sociologists then expanded the philosophy theories of essentialism because of its broad implications in the 19th and 20th centuries. In specific, the two major theories are racial and gender essentialism theory. Racial essentialism started during the colonial period when European powers used racial classifications to justify imperial conquest and slavery, contributed by David Hume’s and Immanuel Kant’s theory of biological essence. The theory applied Plato’s theory of essentialism to humans, stating that humans are different from essence and can be categorized and defined by some words, including race. These actions ultimately resulted in severe physical and mental traumas to those essentialized individuals.
The belief in biological essence also serves as the basis of gender essentialism, which is the belief that gender is a discrete social category, implying that gender is biologically determined and immutable. This theory is similar to feminism, which also became popular in the 1960s. The feminists ultimately realized that sexism and discrimination against women were based on these essentialist beliefs, which were rooted in outdated stereotypes. Although lots of efforts were put to eliminate gender essentialism by feminists, it continues today and is deeply ingrained in society.
Examples
Lots of gender stereotypes still exist in society nowadays. For instance, the advertisement above shows the traditional gender stereotypes. The girl toy advertisements use pink color a lot, which implies that girls are expected to like pink things, such as clothes, earrings, and hair bands. In addition, classifying dolls as girl toys also shows severe stereotypes because it implies that women are expected to be caretakers. On the other hand, the black workbench set, classified as “boy toys,” focuses on physical activity, independence, and dominance. This implies that males in society are expected to be independent, strong, and enjoy hands-on activities. These gender-stereotypical advertisements may influence our children’s interests, behaviors, and aspirations from a very early age, which can be toxic to individuals as well as society.
China’s educational system preserves the educational essentialism theory. Specifically, teachers teaching the same year follow a very detailed course syllabus, from designated textbook to content covered each week, provided by the education bureau. In addition, the teachers teaching the same year meet bi-weekly to discuss their pace and adjust accordingly. On the other hand, students are provided with a fixed course schedule and do not have any elective courses. In addition, they are provided multiple homework sets for each class and are required to complete written work for each course every day. This educational system demonstrates educational essentialism, as it ensures that students gain “essential” knowledge through an intense understanding of knowledge.
James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son provides a vivid example of racial essentialism. From his recollection, he was denied at a restaurant called “white lunch,” which only served white people, because of his skin color. Although Baldwin was one of the few individuals who started to realize racial essentialism and actively resist it, he was not able to resist this problematic social norm as the white waitress said “We don’t serve Negroes here” without hostility. This instance shows that racial essentialism can cause problematic mindsets for people of different races, and cause severe mental trauma for the essentialized individuals.
Controversies
The concept of essentialism has been controversial since the beginning of its validity and morality. In science, critics argue that essentialism’s view of objects as essentially fixed and immutable entities challenges Darwin’s theory of Evolution. While essentialism sees essence as a property of individual organisms that never changes, the theory of evolution views it as a property of populations that could change to adapt to the environment over time. Thus, the philosophical foundation of essentialism contradicts the theory of Evolution, which hindered the scholar’s understanding of the natural world for a long time.
In society, past or present, essentialism is thought to justify dehumanizing thoughts and behaviors. The concept of essentialism rationalizes racism, slavery, colonialism, and other atrocities, which can cause severe mental traumas for the essentialized individuals. Though the historical issues have almost been solved, essentialism also perpetuates gender stereotypes and ignores individual characteristics in modern society, as phrases such as “boys like blue and girls like pink” still exist. Unfortunately, this issue is currently far from being solved.
In education, essentialism’s impact has also been controversial. While essentialism emphasizes a core curriculum and the mastery of traditional subjects, it is criticized for its potential to limit students’ career choices. Since students only learn knowledge from lectures and practice sheets, they may fail to apply the knowledge to real life. This rigid approach to education may affect their ability to communicate their knowledge to others and thus result in failure to find jobs.
Work Cited
Baldwin, James. Notes of a Native Son. Penguin Books, 1995.
Baxter, Frederick. “The Critics of Essentialism Philosophy.” Pondering Philosopher, 11 May 2023, www.ponderingphilosopher.com/the-critics-of-essentialism-philosophy/#:~:text=Despite%20the%20importance%20of%20identity,the%20scope%20of%20social%20change.
“Essentialism Definition, History & Applications.” Study.com, 8 February 2023, study.com/academy/lesson/essentialism-overview-applications.html
Flax, Jane “Essentialism .” New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Encyclopedia.com. 18 October 2023, https://www.encyclopedia.com.
“Gender Stereotypes in Advertising.” shEqual, 25 May 2023, shequal.com.au/genderstereotypes/.
Gülgöz, Selin, et al. “Gender Essentialism in Transgender and Cisgender Children.” PloS One, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 13 Nov. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6853285/#:~:text=Gender%20essentialism%20refers%20to%20the,properties%20%5B1%E2%80%932%5D.
Wang, Fei, et al. “Capturing Western Educators’ Perceptions of Chinese Learners: A Cultural Non-Essentialist Perspective.” Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 2022, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02188791.2022.2097642.
Wastell, Laurie. “Essentialism: The Logical Fallacy Plaguing US since Plato.” New Discourses, 4 Mar. 2021, newdiscourses.com/2021/02/essentialism-logical-fallacy-plaguing-us-since-plato/.
Zack, Naomi. “The Philosophical Roots of Racial Essentialism and Its Legacy.” Confluence: Journal of World Philosophies, 2014, scholarworks.iu.edu/iupjournals/index.php/confluence/article/view/522/28.