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<p>The logic curriculum in philosophy, despite its assertions of impartiality and universality, frequently serves as a gatekeeping device – filtering out students not by lack of ability, but through pedagogical practices and epistemic norms that subtly define what is “rational” and reinforce elite, masculinist, and exclusionary standards. Drawing from feminist theory and classroom experience, this paper will examine how teaching logic marginalises students from under-represented origins and disciplines and how feminist logic provides a strong critical and constructive lens for examining and rethinking logic instruction. Drawing from critical pedagogy and feminist epistemology, the paper examines how logic pedagogy is dominated by abstraction, speed, and competitive problem-solving, favouring some reasoning styles while alienating others, particularly those based on context, embodiment, and collaboration. In my own educational setting, I have seen how logic serves as both a fundamental course and an implicit filter for perceived ‘rigour,’ which serves to uphold established hierarchies and discourage many gifted kids. As a critique and a methodology, feminist logic demands that logic education be reoriented towards epistemic justice that doesn’t entrench hierarchical dualisms through its structures of negation. This paper conceptualises the Frictional Framework as a feminist alternative that resists exclusionary binaries while reimagining rigour as responsive, plural, and justice oriented. Instead of weakening rigour, a feminist-informed curriculum broadens the definition of logical fluency by emphasising power and positionality in the argument’s structural structure, modelling situated thinking, and favouring cooperative discussion over competitive problem-solving. This paper will provide specific examples of how pluralistic reasoning frameworks, multimodal exercises, and inclusive examples can be used to teach logic. By doing this, it argues for teaching logic as a deeply political activity that has the power to upend or reinforce epistemic systems, rather than just as a technical instrument. A feminist logic curriculum is crucial, not an add-on, to reconsidering the purpose and audience of logic.</p>

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The logic curriculum as a gatekeeping tool: feminist interventions in teaching formal reasoning

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月15日

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  • Puja Raj

摘要

The logic curriculum in philosophy, despite its assertions of impartiality and universality, frequently serves as a gatekeeping device – filtering out students not by lack of ability, but through pedagogical practices and epistemic norms that subtly define what is “rational” and reinforce elite, masculinist, and exclusionary standards. Drawing from feminist theory and classroom experience, this paper will examine how teaching logic marginalises students from under-represented origins and disciplines and how feminist logic provides a strong critical and constructive lens for examining and rethinking logic instruction. Drawing from critical pedagogy and feminist epistemology, the paper examines how logic pedagogy is dominated by abstraction, speed, and competitive problem-solving, favouring some reasoning styles while alienating others, particularly those based on context, embodiment, and collaboration. In my own educational setting, I have seen how logic serves as both a fundamental course and an implicit filter for perceived ‘rigour,’ which serves to uphold established hierarchies and discourage many gifted kids. As a critique and a methodology, feminist logic demands that logic education be reoriented towards epistemic justice that doesn’t entrench hierarchical dualisms through its structures of negation. This paper conceptualises the Frictional Framework as a feminist alternative that resists exclusionary binaries while reimagining rigour as responsive, plural, and justice oriented. Instead of weakening rigour, a feminist-informed curriculum broadens the definition of logical fluency by emphasising power and positionality in the argument’s structural structure, modelling situated thinking, and favouring cooperative discussion over competitive problem-solving. This paper will provide specific examples of how pluralistic reasoning frameworks, multimodal exercises, and inclusive examples can be used to teach logic. By doing this, it argues for teaching logic as a deeply political activity that has the power to upend or reinforce epistemic systems, rather than just as a technical instrument. A feminist logic curriculum is crucial, not an add-on, to reconsidering the purpose and audience of logic.