Robert Chapman (philosopher): Difference between revisions

Robert Chapman they a philosopher, teacher and writer, best known for his work on neurodiversity studies and the philosophy of disability.

During his childhood, Chapman lived in low-income housing in London and, later, elsewhere in England. In an interview, they said that they had learning problems and left school at the age of 15. After living with friends, Robert ended up becoming a beggar. At the time, with the harshness of winter, they sought help to be adopted and was given a foster family. During the 2000s, they studied philosophy at the University of Southampton. In 2012, after discovering his own autism, they completed his master's degree and began his doctorate at the University of Essex with a focus on neurodiversity as a theory, developing a concept of autistic prosperity. His thesis was defended in 2018.^[1]

Chapman served as a senior lecturer in education at Sheffield Hallam University, in a temporary position held until mid-2022.^[1] From 2023, they became an assistant professor at Durham University, in the field of critical neurodiversity studies.^[2] Outside of academic activity, Chapman also wrote articles for Psychology Today.^[3]

In 2023, Robert published the book Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism, which focused on developing a Marxist perspective on neurodiversity.^[4]

Neurodiversity paradigm
Philosophy Autism rights movement Bodily autonomy Disability rights movement Independent living movement Self-advocacy
Organizations Aspies For Freedom Autism Network International Autistic Self Advocacy Network National Autistic Society
Events Autism Acceptance Day & Month Autism History Month Autistic Pride Day Autscape Disability Day of Mourning Neurodiversity Celebration Week Weird Pride Day
Issues Ableism Anti-autism All in a Row Applied behavior analysis Augmentative and alternative communication Autism-friendly Autism Speaks Communication Shutdown Community integration Controversies in autism Deinstitutionalisation Disability-selective abortion Double empathy problem Employment Ethical challenges to autism treatment Eugenics Facilitated communication Filicide Inclusion in education Inclusion as a right Judge Rotenberg Center Neurodiversity and labor rights Social model of disability Societal and cultural aspects of autism Universal Design for Learning Violence
People Alex Plank Ari Ne'eman Damian Milton Daniel Lightwing Devon Price Donna Williams govy Greta Thunberg Jim Sinclair John Elder Robison Josef Schovanec Judy Singer Julia Bascom Lydia Brown Mel Baggs Michelle Dawson Morénike Giwa Onaiwu Morton Ann Gernsbacher Nick Walker Robert Chapman Roy Richard Grinker Shain Neumeier Stephen Shore Steve Silberman Temple Grandin William Davenport
Films Citizen Autistic Deej Loving Lampposts Neurotypical
Criticism Pro-cure perspective National Council on Severe Autism Matthew Belmonte Manuel Casanova Jill Escher Michael Fitzpatrick Bruce Hall David Miedzianik Jonathan Mitchell Alysson Muotri Jonathan Shestack Alison Singer
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Chapman defined the neurodiversity movement as a social justice movement that aims to change the way mental disability and neurodevelopmental conditions are observed with the goal of being perceived in a socio-ecological approach to disability.^[3] Robert made frequent references to authors such as Nick Walker and Judy Singer and their proposals for conceptualizing neurodiversity.^[1][3] They argued that, historically, neurodiversity as a movement has had a political approach based on identity, which, from his perspective, is a liberal view, and that is why he decided to propose a more radical approach to neurodiversity.

They also argued that the correct interpretation of the concept of neurodiversity contributes to the further development of its theoretical and practical side, and that its multiple definitions are evolving over time.^[5] Robert also discussed the relationship of neurodiversity to explanatory models of disability, such as the social model of disability and the value-neutral model proposed by philosopher Elizabeth Barnes.^[6]

Gerald Roche has argued that Chapman's definition of neurodivergent Marxism is “an intersectional approach to analysing how capitalism produces and maintains multiple forms of oppression, to ensure that new sites of extraction can be constantly identified and exploited in the endless pursuit of capital accumulation.”^[7] Awais Aftab has said that Chapman's work “has had a substantial impact on my own thinking, and their writings have consistently forced me, and many others, to rethink long-standing assumptions related to pathology and medical care.”^[3] In a review of book Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm, Julie Dind said that one of his essays successfully challenges the tragic perspective. [3] Julie Dind stated in a review of the book Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm, which included Chapman's writings, that one of his essays successfully challenges the tragic perspective on autism promoted by medicine.^[8] Tiago Abreu argued that Robert's work manages to provide an effective state-of-the-art and historical contextualization of neurodiversity.^[9]

In various articles and especially in the book Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism, Chapman has promoted criticism of how psychiatrists and the field of psychiatry deal with the issue of mental health and disability. In 2022, they said that “a lot of critical psychiatry today is about emphasizing how people with mental health diagnoses are not “really” disabled–not like “really” disabled people–because mental health is a political issue rather than a medical issue. For me, however, all issues concerning health and disability are political issues; so, that is a false binary".^[10][1]

Robert also promoted criticism of anti-psychiatry, especially the work of Thomas Szasz. John Cromby, for Mad in the UK, criticized Chapman's approach in Empire of Normality, arguing that the work “misrepresents antipsychiatry” in terms of historical context and use of the term, and argued that it “tends towards idealism.”^[11]