Mills’ book explores the political philosophy of the social contract. “The Racial contract” was published at the end of the twentieth century, and it investigates the issue of racial relations in the world over 500 years. The book was considered controversial when it was first published.
However, the book has since become a useful tool in the study of political philosophy. The author explores several aspects of the social contract including Europe’s global domination, the relationship between whites and non-whites, the existence of full persons and non-persons, among other aspects. Using other existing philosophies, Mills shows how the racial contract has shaped the new world.
Mills’ philosophy is quite similar to both Marxist and Feminist based philosophies. According to Mills, philosophy is a discipline that is governed by its own set of “images, standard tropes, and classical scenes” (Mills 1).
When these aspects are merged with popular philosophical figures, they form a template that is synonymous with the philosophy discipline. This argument introduces the aspect of race in philosophy.
Philosophy is often considered a discipline of free thinkers who are not subject to racial and other vague inhibitions. However, Mills argues that just like in other academic disciplines, there are templates that shape philosophy.
The freethinking philosophers are guided by their interests as opposed to them delving into impersonal contemplations. Philosophy scholars find the likelihood of philosophers advancing ‘white-European interests’ unsettling.
However, a close analysis of some philosophers would validate this argument. Immanuel Kant and David Hume are some of the philosophers who have forwarded arguments that have elements of white supremacy.
Both of these philosophers believed that black people have inferior cognitive abilities. This means that racism is not essentially a preserve of the ignorant populous.
The academic elite of the postmodern era also perpetuates racism. The concept of ‘white philosophy’ seems outrageous but Mills’ argument is strong enough to validate it.
According to Mills, “racial contract is the central component of the social contract” (Mills 87). This means that racism is an inevitable component of global political and economic activities. The dominance of Europe in these two areas acts as proof of racial contract.
Given the elements of a racial contract are still ongoing, the current racial equality achievements are just a sham. The truth is that efforts towards equality are initiated to give the people of color a false sense of contentment, complacency, and security.
The current equality is also meant to make the people of color depend more on the white people who ‘spearhead’ the equality efforts. Most people consider this era to be post-racial. This implies that no racial barriers exist in the current world.
However, several events and scenarios cast doubt on this premise. For instance, when President Obama was running his first election campaign, the race issue was dominant.
During that time, people barely paid attention to his economic or foreign policies, but they were more fascinated with the idea of a ‘black president.’ If this were the post-racial era, the issue of skin color would not have been that prominent.
Moreover, there are those who feel that the election of a black president serves as a distraction to modern racial oppression. For example, cases of racial profiling by the police are still rampant; the only difference is that they do not get as much publicity as they used to in the Civil Rights era.
“The Racial Contract” intertwines the issue of race and political philosophy. The mode of analysis used by the author raises and answers very important questions. The author also addresses the turn taken by racial inequality convincingly.
Works cited
Mills, Charles. The Racial Contract, New York, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. Print.