Public Philosophy and Outreach Archives

Public Philosophy and Outreach

Syria and Misconceptions about Philosophy

In the wake of suspected recent chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians by their own government, The Atlantic reached out to a few philosophers to learn what the “moral course of action” is for the United States. The collection of answers suggests a problem with public philosophy. (more…)

Making a Case for Pre-College Philosophy

“We assume that certain kinds of questions are only for advanced students, and I think that the irony is that, in many cases, not encouraging all students to ask those questions is why some are not advanced.” (more…)

New Philosophy Podcast on Love and Happiness

Jennifer Frey, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina, has launched a new podcast on love and happiness called Sacred and Profane Love. (more…)

Philosopher Wins Grant To Increase Pre-College Exposure to Philosophy

The Whiting Foundation, a grant-making organization promoting the humanities in American culture, has awarded one of its Public Engagement Fellowships to Cristina Cammarano, assistant professor of philosophy at Salisbury University. (more…)

Is the Public Receptive to Public Philosophy?

It is a common refrain: academics need to get out of their ivory towers and start engaging with the general public. It can come from a place of sympathy, worrying that valuable ideas are not reaching the public, or it can come from a place of dismissiveness, implying that academic debates need to change radically to become relevant to the broader populace. But in ei..

Philosophy in Schools: Continuing the Conversation (guest post by Myfanwy J. Williams)

The following is a guest post * by Myfanwy J. Williams, responding to last week’s post about claims made regarding the benefits of pre-college philosophy instruction. Dr. Williams is co-director of what she calls “a very small not-for-profit company,” which she is in the process of establishing with two fellow philosophers, John Foster and Faye Tucker (Second Though..

The State of the Study of Consciousness

What’s the current state of the philosophical study of consciousness? In The New York Review of Books, Tim Parks (Associate Professor of Literature and Translation at IULM University in Milan) and Riccardo Manzotti (Associate Professor in Theoretical Philosophy, IULM University, Milan) continue their series of public philosophy and science of mind conversations in “..

New Philosophy TV Show: Ethics Matters

Ethics Matters is a new television show that debuted yesterday on Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s youth-oriented channel, ABC 3. (more…)

Large Grant To Support Pre-College Philosophy In Australasia

The Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Association (FAPSA) has been awarded $281,656 AUD (roughly US$224,000) to fund a project that brings philosophy to pre-college students. (more…)

Philosophy Time with James Franco (guest post by Eliot Michaelson)

The following is a guest post * by Eliot Michaelson, Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at King’s College London, about Philosophy Time, a series of philosophy videos he created with actor James Franco. (more…)

Philosophy In Germany: Too Popular For Its Own Good?

An article in the current issue of Foreign Policy,“German Philosophy Has Finally Gone Viral. Will That Be Its Undoing?” describes the surge in philosophy’s popularity in Germany and asks whether it comes at too high a cost. (more…)

An Excellent Public Philosopher

“Philosophy always causes offense—perhaps it should cause offense,” says philosopher Peter Singer, Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, in a recent interview, below. (more…)

Public Philosophy Via Facebook Check-Ins

Here’s an interesting way of using technology to bring philosophy to the people:

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APA Issues Statement On Valuing Public Philosophy

The American Philosophical Association (APA) has issued a statement supporting public philosophy and urging philosophy departments to consider recognizing work in public philosophy not just as service, but also, when fitting, as teaching or research. Here’s the statement:

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Errol Morris vs. Thomas Kuhn

The latest episode of the consistently fascinating Hi-Phi Nation, “The Ashes of Truth” is about looking back at one’s earlier choices and thinking of what could have been had you made different ones. Among those interviewed for the episode is acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris, and he has some interesting things to say about Thomas Kuhn. (more…)

New Public Philosophy Podcast: The Owl

The Owl is a new public philosophy podcast from the Brooklyn Public Philosophers (BKPP). Ian Olasov, a philosophy graduate student at CUNY who coordinates events for BKPP, writes: (more…)

Taking Public Philosophy Seriously (guest post by Adam Hosein)

The following is a guest post * by Adam Hosein, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado. A version of this post initially appeared at Philosopher, a site at which philosophers are invited to describe their work. Thanks to Meena Krishnamurthy, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan and editor of Philosopher, for permiss..

New Philosophy Podcast on Politics and Public Discourse

Why We Argue is a new, interview-based podcast “that explores the triumphs and disasters of American political conversation.” It is hosted by Robert Talisse, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University and is part of the Humility and Conviction in Public Life project directed by Michael Lynch, professor of philosophy at the University of Connecticut. (more…)..

Philosophy for the Public: With or Without Gimmicks?

Freelance philosopher and writer Nigel Warburton, whom you may know from Philosophy Bites, is prompted by the occasion of a straightforward interview with a philosopher in the mainstream media (Daniel Dennett on BBC Radio 4) to observe how rare it is, and then, in a series of tweets, come up with increasingly ridiculous pitches for TV and radio producers about how ..

Series of Public Philosophy Events in Wales

The Institute for Art and Ideas (IAI), which in the past has hosted an enormous summer philosophy and arts festival, is taking a break from that extravaganza to put on a series of smaller events, beginning in April, and has offered a discount to Daily Nous readers. (more…)

“Free Philosophy Project” Brings Philosophy To The Homeless

Boston University philosophy major Clarinda Blais has created a program, the Free Philosophy Project, that brings philosophy discussions to homeless shelters. The project, which has been running for about a year and a half, began at the women’s center at St. Francis House, a day shelter in Boston, and has now spread to eleven shelters in the Boston area, reports The..

New Philosophy Program on BBC Radio

Barry Smith, professor of philosophy and director of the Institute of Philosophy at the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, is the co-host, with composer and sound designer Nick Ryan, of a new series on BBC Radio 4 called “The Uncommon Senses.” (more…)

Association for Practical & Professional Ethics Moves to DePauw

The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), a “comprehensive, international organization advancing scholarship, education, and practice in practical and professional ethics,” will be moving from its current institutional home at Indiana University to the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. (more…)

Innovations in Philosophical Events: The Dance Dialog

The Logos Dance Collective is

a fluctuating assemblage comprised of dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, designers, cartographers, and philosophers, rebels against disciplinary constraints as it investigates how ideas that are typically relegated to the ivory tower—ideas about the limits of human knowledge, the nature of consciousness, the moral and ..

What Should Humanities Institutes Do?

What should humanities institutes at universities do? Among other things, “prompt general efforts toward identifying the varied roles that the humanities can play in 21st-century society,” says Robert Frodeman, a philosopher at the University of North Texas, in an essay at Inside Higher Ed. He argues that institutes should focus on the future and relevance of the hu..