Briana Toole

Briana Toole is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College. Previously, she held a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Philosophy at Baruch College-CUNY and a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018.

Dr. Toole's educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin (2018)
• Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, Department of Philosophy at MIT
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Department of Philosophy at Baruch College-CUNY

Her research interests lie at the intersections of epistemology, feminist theory, and philosophy of race. Dr. Toole studies how social identity and personal interests—features often presumed irrelevant in knowledge discussions—play significant roles in inquiry and knowledge acquisition. She is particularly focused on standpoint epistemology, epistemic oppression, and how marginalized perspectives contribute to knowledge production. Her work examines the epistemic significance of consciousness-raising and transformative experiences, as well as the epistemic difficulties that beset resistance movements.

Dr. Toole's publications demonstrate a strong focus on standpoint epistemology, feminist philosophy, and the relationship between social identity and knowledge. Her work spans from theoretical examinations of epistemic privilege to applied analyses of how white supremacy operates at an epistemic level. Her research shows a consistent trajectory toward understanding how marginalized perspectives can transform philosophical inquiry and knowledge production, with particular attention to how race and gender shape what counts as knowledge.

As an educator, Dr. Toole believes that learning occurs through discomfort. She creates classroom environments where students feel safe to express ideas while being open to challenge. Rather than lecturing, she relies on classroom discussion to encourage students to do the thinking and guide the direction of the course. Her teaching philosophy centers on developing critical thinkers capable of self-reflection and analysis, with the goal of showing students 'how to think, not what to think.' She has taught courses including 'Advanced Seminar: Ideology and World-Making,' 'Philosophy through Black Literature,' and 'Feminism for Men, or: How to Make a Feminist.'

Dr. Toole is the founder of Corrupt the Youth, a philosophy outreach program that brings philosophy to high school students from backgrounds historically excluded from the field. The program partners with schools to integrate philosophy into the curriculum, addressing the pipeline problem in philosophy by exposing underrepresented students to the discipline early. She has secured funding through an APA grant and PLATO to run a summer residential philosophy camp for underprivileged students. The program has chapters in Austin, Los Angeles (including one at the Los Angeles LGBT Center), and New York, with each chapter tailored to address community-specific issues such as immigration, gun rights, and LGBT issues.