Philosophy Beyond the Ivory Tower

The mission of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA) is to use the tools of philosophical inquiry to improve people’s lives and enrich the profession of philosophy through conversation and community building. The theme of the 2019 SAAP conference, “Inclusive Communities,” is important for SOPHIA as an organization. Our members engage in a variety of forms of public philosophy, many of which expand the reach of traditional academic philosophers’ work beyond the ivory tower. The theme of our panel involves consideration of diverse ways in which our members reach beyond 4-year institutions of higher education. The first presentation, “Inclusiveness as a Way of Life,” offers a more theoretical orientation to the values expressed by the panel. In particular, it will show affinities between Deweyan pragmatic ideals with Iris Marion Young’s democratic theory of inclusion. Next, it will relate these ideals to a variety of thinkers, including Pierre, Hadot and Herbert Marcuse, and traditions, such as Buddhism and Feminism. Finally, after elaborating some practices and values of inclusivity it will bring together Dewey’s notion of a Great Community and King’s Beloved Community to sketch a neighbor-ethic, which establishes inclusiveness as a way of life that necessarily reaches beyond the academia.

The other three presentations will focus on examples of forms of inclusive community-building philosophy beyond the traditional four-year academic institution. The first is “Philosophy as a Public Practice,” which concerns the growing movement of public philosophy. After reviewing multiple efforts to make philosophy more public, such as the Public Philosophy Network and SOPHIA, the presentation will turn specifically toward philosophy for children, such as the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children, as forms of public philosophical practice. In conclusion, the speaker explores how these forms of public outreach requires reconstructing both how philosophy is conceived, and evaluated, by the academia and the public in an age that seemingly values only vocational training.

Next is “Field Notes on Public Philosophy,” which offers practical advice and personal insight into developing philosophy through engagement with the public, rather than merely ‘sending’ philosophy into public. In particular, the presentation addresses how public engagement might inform and revitalize individual teaching and research, as well as philosophy as a discipline. Following Dewey’s own ideals and practices, the presentation argues that philosophers should value how much they change the world, instead of only publication records in niche journals. Changing the world, however, requires working with the public through virtues such as epistemic honesty and humility. In this way, the benefits of public engagement might flow to philosophers as well as the public.

The final presentation, “The Need for Protecting ‘Public Space’ at the American Community College,” turns to the often-neglected topic of community colleges as a site of philosophical and public engagement. It uses the political theories of Dewey and Arendt to argue for community college as a key site for preparing adult learners to resist undemocratic attempts to regulate public spaces. Instead, we can inculcate Deweyan democratic values of unforced common interests and free association to prevent a totalitarian erosion of personal and communal relationships.