Renewing the Friendship of Wisdom: Public Philosophy in Times of Crisis
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Authors
Livingstone, Joshua
Date
2025-01-30
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Hannah Arendt , Aristotle , Philosophy , Friendship , Continental Philosophy
Alternative Title
Abstract
Philosophy has a public relations problem, though this is nothing new. Its long history of inquiry is marked by an estrangement from the public sphere out of which misunderstanding and disinterest arise to trouble the interactions of philosopher and public. While philosophers naturally view their work as valuable and conducive to the flourishing of the wider community, the public tends to think of philosophy as an abstract intellectual exercise detached from everyday life virtually devoid of practical relevance. As a result, philosophical contributions are unfairly marginalized to the detriment of the philosophers and the public alike.
To address this problem, a growing movement of philosophers has taken up the task of bridging the gap and improving public relations by bringing philosophy out of isolation into the public sphere. The efforts of these public philosophers can generally be categorized according to two strategies: popularization and collaboration. The former is a didactic strategy, the aim of which is to introduce the public to philosophy by making the work of philosophers more accessible. The latter is a dialectic approach that invites the public to participate in the act of philosophizing. Both strategies, however, appear to rely on a preliminary willingness to engage with philosophy on the part of the public. This introduces a circularity into the project wherein the aim is presupposed as a prerequisite to its own pursuit.
To aid the burgeoning public philosophy movement, I inquire into the possibility of enacting a form of public philosophy that does not rely on pre-established relations but works to build the relations needed to overcome estrangement. To achieve this requires the public philosopher to strike a delicate balance between the preservation of philosophy’s most valuable practices, while at the same time modifying it to avoid further estrangement. In conversation with Aristotle and Arendt, I weave together a narrative in which philosophy is understood as an activity belonging primarily to relations of friendship. Warning of the consequences that excessive withdrawal from public life can have on this relationship, I argue that to save philosophy from irrelevance and to practice it in a manner capable of forging and maintaining productive relations with the wider community requires a renewal (without reiteration) of the friendship of wisdom.
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This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution 4.0 International