How to survive a crisis: reclaiming philosophy as a public practice

Abstract

Philosophy is often understood as an isolated discipline in higher education, as a form of study removed from the concerns of everyday life and the majority of the public. Although philosophy is, in one sense, a professional discipline in higher education, this conception is limiting and severely underdetermines possibilities for philosophy as a public practice. As a public practice, philosophy and those who practice it can engage with pressing problems and collaborate with stakeholders beyond the academy toward the end of improving our communities. Practicing and supporting philosophy as a public practice is important both for our communities and, ultimately, for greater understanding and appreciation of professional philosophy. Doing so, however, requires significant changes in conceptions of legitimate philosophical practice and, in turn, systems of evaluation and support for publicly engaged philosophers in our institutions and departments.

The public relevance of philosophy

“…Another option is to include professional practice portfolios (with e.g. letters from community members) as a requirement in tenure or promotion files (Burroughs 2018). The downside of the former is that altmetrics, like all metrics, do not always capture what we are after, are susceptible to gaming, and come with an administrative cost (Pedersen et al 2020).…”

A Cartography of Philosophy’s Engagement with Society

“…In the United States, threatened closure of philosophy departments prompted arguments for the public value of philosophy (Burroughs, 2018;McIntyre, 2011). Here, philosophers argue that shedding "esoteric engagement with topics irrelevant to the affairs of contemporary culture" (Sassower, 2018) benefits philosophy but worry that university incentives and processes present obstacles to a more engaged philosophy (Frodeman & Briggle, 2016;Burroughs, 2018).…”

“…In the United States, threatened closure of philosophy departments prompted arguments for the public value of philosophy (Burroughs, 2018;McIntyre, 2011). Here, philosophers argue that shedding "esoteric engagement with topics irrelevant to the affairs of contemporary culture" (Sassower, 2018) benefits philosophy but worry that university incentives and processes present obstacles to a more engaged philosophy (Frodeman & Briggle, 2016;Burroughs, 2018). A variety of initiatives seek to overcome the obstacles and foster broader engagement: Public Philosophy Network (PPN), Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA), Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC), the Consortium for Socially Relevant Philosophy of/in Science and Engineering (SRPoiSE), Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) or the Philosophy in the Public Interest program at Northern Arizona University..…”

“…As with the broader humanities, assertions of the public value of philosophy tend to take the form of principled arguments. Supporting evidence takes the form of variable lists of three or four famous philosophers (Frodeman & Briggle, 2016;Burroughs, 2018;Benneworth, 2015;Davey, 2011;Watermeyer, 2014). This great man approach establishes that it has been possible for charismatic, intelligent, wise and connected philosophers to influence societal change over long periods of time.…”