235
See also: Aristotle 56–63 ■ Charles Sanders Peirce 205 ■ William James 206–09 ■ John Dewey 228–31
THE MODERN WORLD
The problem of the 20th
century is the problem
of the color line.
William Du BoisMartin Luther King Jr. cited Du
Bois’ writings as a key influence in his
decision to become actively involved in
the battle to demolish racial divisions
and establish social equality in the US.William Du Bois Du Bois showed exceptional
academic promise from an early
age. He won a scholarship to Fisk
University, and spent two years in
Germany studying in Berlin before
attending Harvard, where he
wrote a dissertation on the slave
trade. He was the first African-
American to graduate from
Harvard with a doctorate.
Alongside an active career as
a university teacher and writer,
Du Bois was involved in the Civil
Rights movement and in radical
politics. His political judgement
has sometimes been called into
question: he famously wrote aglowing eulogy on the death of
the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Nevertheless, Du Bois remains
a key figure in the struggle for
racial equality, thanks to what
Martin Luther King Jr. called his
“divine dissatisfaction with all
forms of injustice”.Key works1903 The Souls of Black Folk
1915 The Negro
1924 The Gift of Black Folk
1940 Dusk of Dawn: An Essay
Toward an Autobiography of
a Race ConceptDu Bois goes on to say that the
“only possible death” is to lose one’s
belief in the prospects for human
progress. But there are also hints
of deeper philosophical roots here,
going all the way back to the
ancient Greek idea of eudaimonia
or “human flourishing”; for the
philosopher Aristotle, this involved
living a life of excellence based
upon virtue and reason.
Political activist
Du Bois considers two of the major
impediments to a life of excellence
to be racism and social inequality.
He rejects scientific racism—the
idea that black people are inferior
genetically to white people—that
was prevalent throughout most of
his life. As racial inequality has
no basis in biological science,
he regards it as a purely social
problem, one that can be addressed
only by committed political and
social activism.
Du Bois is tireless in his search
for solutions to the problem of all
forms of social inequality. He
argues that social inequality is
one of the major causes of crime,
claiming that lack of education andemployment are correlated with
high levels of criminal activity.
In his final message to the world,
Du Bois reminds us that the task
of bringing about a more just society
is still incomplete. He states that it
is up to future generations to believe
in life, so that we can continue to
contribute to the fulfilment of
“human flourishing.” ■