Elizabeth V. Spelman

Elizabeth V. Spelman was an American philosopher, born on April 3, 1945, and passing away on December 26, 2025. She held the Barbara Richmond 1940 Chair in the Humanities at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she taught from 1982 until her retirement in 2024. Her academic work focused on four key areas: critical race feminism, the influence of social conditioning on emotions, the human impulse for repair, and the concept of humans as waste makers. Spelman explored these themes in her influential books. 'Inessential Woman: Problems of Exclusion in Feminist Thought' examines the intersection of race and gender, offering a critical interpretation of critical race theory that includes women's experiences. 'Fruits of Sorrow: Framing our Attention to Suffering' delves into the nature of human emotions, particularly suffering, and how it shapes human interactions and politics. She posits that suffering can lead to various outcomes, viewing those who suffer as potentially tragic figures, objects of compassion, or sources of learning. Her book 'Repair: The Impulse to Restore a Fragile World' complements 'Fruits of Sorrow' by highlighting the fundamental human need to mend what is broken or wrong. In her 2016 book, 'Trash Talks: Revelations in the Rubbish', Spelman investigated the intricate connection between humanity and waste. Her ideas have significantly influenced feminist philosophy, particularly her views on how social conditioning shapes femininity and how societal oppression is experienced differently by women based on factors like race, religion, and sexual orientation. Spelman passed away after a brief illness.