What is public philosophy

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36517/Argumentos.16.32.93114

Keywords:

Public philosophy. Explication. Philosophy of the sciences. Public intellectual.

Abstract

In this article, I propose a new definition of public philosophy. In light of Carnap’s criteria for the explication of a concept, I argue that the proposed definition is more precise, similar enough to current uses of the expression, and more philosophically and socially fruitful than extant definitions. I then present what I take to be the three paradigmatic types of public philosophy as well as two hybrid cases. In short, I define public philosophy as philosophy addressed to an audience outside of philosophy in response to that audience’s interests or research goals.

Author Biography

  • Vitor Sommavilla, Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB)

    Doutor em Filosofia pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Professor do Departamento de Filosofia e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB). 

References

ALEXANDROVA, A. Can the Science of Well-Being Be Objective? British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, v. 69, n. 2, 2018, p. 421–445.

BOTELHO, A.; SCHWARCZ, L. M. Esse enigma chamado Brasil: apresentação. In: BOTELHO, A.; SCHWARCZ, L. M. (Ed.). Um enigma chamado Brasil: 29 intérpretes e um país. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2009. p. 7-10.

CARNAP, R. Logical foundations of probability. 2. ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press; Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1962.

CARNAP, R. Meaning and necessity: a study in semantics and modal logic. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1947.

FEHR, C.; PLAISANCE, K. S. Socially relevant philosophy of science: an introduction. Synthese, v. 177, n. 3, 2010, p. 301–316.

GETTIER, E. L. Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? Analysis, v. 23, n. 6, jun./1963, p. 121-131.

LAPLANE, L. et. al. Why science needs philosophy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, v. 116, n. 10, 2016, p. 3948-3952.

MCINTYRE, L.; MCHUGH, N.; OLASOV, I. A companion to public philosophy. [S.l.] Wiley-Blackwell, 2022.

NAGEL, E. The structure of science: problems in the logic of scientific explanation. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961.

SANDEL, M. J. Public philosophy: essays on morality in politics. Cambridge; London: Harvard University Press, 2005.

SELLARS, W. Science, perception and reality. Atascadero: Ridgeview Publishing Company, 1991.

STRAWSON, P. F. Carnap’s views on constructed systems versus natural languages in analytic philosophy. In: SCHILPP, P. A. (Ed.). The philosophy of Rudolf Carnap. La Salle: Open Court, 1963. p. 503-518.

TULLY, J. Public philosophy in a new key. Volume 1: Democracy and civic freedom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

WALZER, M. The political theory license. Annual Review of Political Science, v. 16, n. 1, 2013, p. 1–9.

WOLFF, F. Dilema dos Intelectuais. Disponível em: https://artepensamento.com.br/item/dilema-dos-intelectuais/.

Published

2024-07-08 — Updated on 2025-10-06

Issue

Section

Varia

How to Cite

What is public philosophy. (2025). Argumentos - Revista De Filosofia, 16(32), 147-159. https://doi.org/10.36517/Argumentos.16.32.93114