Professor Kate Manne is a moral philosopher, regarded as one of the world’s top thinkers in the field of feminist philosophy. A prominent writer and commentator, Prof Manne’s first book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny was published at the height of the #MeToo movement, exploring the nature, function and persistence of misogyny. The award-winning book offered a bridge between academic analysis and the broader public discourse on vexed issues of misogyny and sexism, providing a means to inform and elevate conversations around the world on these critical topics. Her second book, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, delved deeper into the social ills of toxic masculinity, further analysed a term she had coined in 2016, ‘himpathy’ (whereby disproportionate or inappropriate sympathy is extended to a male perpetrator over his similarly, or less privileged, female targets in cases of sexual assault, harassment, and other misogynistic behaviour) and illustrated the damaging impact of male privilege and entitlement on the lives of women and girls. Regarded as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ mind, Prof Manne’s work challenges social norms and stimulates discussion both within academic circles and broader society. 

Prof Manne grew up in Melbourne and studied philosophy, logic, and computer science at the University of Melbourne, before moving to the USA to complete her PhD in Philosophy at MIT, with the support of a General Sir John Monash Scholarship. In 2011, she became a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, and in 2013 she began teaching at Cornell University’s Sage School of Philosophy, where she is an Associate Professor of Philosophy.

Prof Manne’s contribution to the field of moral and social philosophy has been widely recognised. In 2019, Down Girl won the PROSE award for the Humanities and Philosophy, and the American Philosophical Association book prize. Both of her books have been included in numerous ‘best books’ and ‘book of the year’ lists by major publishing houses and media such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Esquire and Times Higher Education magazine.

Prof Manne is admired for her willingness to introduce philosophy to the centre of thorny social debates. She has a talent for interweaving case studies from public and political life into her writing, bringing to life her theoretical claims and making philosophical analysis more accessible and relevant for a wider audience. She is unapologetically political, at times framed as controversial for her commentary and her conviction. Prof Manne is now working on her third book, Belittled: The Violence of Fatphobia, stemming from her opinion piece published in the New York Times in January this year, where she called out diet culture for being both unhealthy and immoral. As an influential social media commentator - with more than 55,000 followers on Twitter - she continues to spark and shape debate on feminist and moral issues at the forefront of global public discourse.