Public philosophy, for me, is the practice of forming and maintaining a public engaged in thinking and acting well about issues that matter to them. It takes all sorts of forms, from education in various spaces, to the building of unions and other political collectives, to conversations with one’s neighbours. Public philosophy is not academia-lite, nor is it dumbing things down for the masses. It is an expression of the universal human capacity for self-cultivation and self-formation.
The Philosopher
I am on the editorial board for the U.K. based philosophy magazine, The Philosopher. It is funded by donation, so please support the great work it does, or become a member! We hold regular online conversations and other events, run reading groups and a podcast, and publish two issues of the magazine each year.
I have published two essays with The Philosopher, both available online:
“The Hope of Public Philosophy,” (Vol. 111, No. 2, Autumn 2023, “Where is Public Philosophy Going?”). I also participated in an online panel on “The Philosophy of Hope” with Alexander Douglas (University of St. Andrews) and Helen De Cruz (St. Louis University).
“Unfreedom,” (Vol. 110, No. 2, Spring 2022, “The New Basics: Society”). Wu Wanwei (迷糊) translated this piece into Mandarin: https://www.rujiazg.com/article/24759
Podcasts
A tripartite series for HotPot (with Steven Zhang):
1. What is Philosophy, and How Is It Used?
2. Philosophy, Religion, and Poetry: Why are these always together?
3. Does Society need an exploitative class to function?
HotPot is a podcast bringing Asian culture and ideas to the world through a plethora of stories and interviews.
A podcast interview on racial capitalism, Du Bois, and unfreedom with Dialexicon‘s Saurish Srivastava. Dialexicon are a youth-run organization helping to bring philosophy to middle- and high-schoolers.