Abstract
Do Heidegger-teabags give philosophy a bad name? An essay about philosophy
for the general public
Among many academic philosophers, philosophy for the general public has a
bad reputation. In this paper I give an overview of the main points of criticism,
and use these to develop a positive account of what good philosophy for the
general public could be. As a first step towards such an account, I outline
different views on how philosophy for the general public can relate to
academic philosophy. Subsequently, I argue that what makes philosophy for
the general public ‘good’, is just what makes philosophical work in general
‘good’: good philosophical work has a philosophical aim, employs philosophical
methods and employs these methods in a sound way. Finally I argue that
communicability of philosophical ideas should not be seen as a bonus feature
but as the sine qua non of philosophical thinking: if academic philosophy paid
more attention to communicability, we might not even need a distinct
discipline of philosophy for the general public. I conclude with some concrete
suggestions for improving such communicability.
for the general public
Among many academic philosophers, philosophy for the general public has a
bad reputation. In this paper I give an overview of the main points of criticism,
and use these to develop a positive account of what good philosophy for the
general public could be. As a first step towards such an account, I outline
different views on how philosophy for the general public can relate to
academic philosophy. Subsequently, I argue that what makes philosophy for
the general public ‘good’, is just what makes philosophical work in general
‘good’: good philosophical work has a philosophical aim, employs philosophical
methods and employs these methods in a sound way. Finally I argue that
communicability of philosophical ideas should not be seen as a bonus feature
but as the sine qua non of philosophical thinking: if academic philosophy paid
more attention to communicability, we might not even need a distinct
discipline of philosophy for the general public. I conclude with some concrete
suggestions for improving such communicability.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 225-38 |
| Journal | Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2016 |
Keywords
- philosophy for the general public
- academic philosophy
- philosophical writing
- De Botton
- Filosofie Magazine