CFP: Philosophers on Philosophy: What is philosophy, how is philosophy done, and why do philosophy? (Working title)

We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume exploring philosophers’ views on different aspects of metaphilosophy. The target audience is undergraduate and graduate students in philosophy and laypeople. These populations are often surprised that philosophers do not agree about what philosophy is, how it is done, whether it makes progress, what its value is, etc. Contributions to this volume will shed light on these topics and introduce the variety of metaphilosophical views contemporary philosophers hold.

Contributions will generally fit into one of the following topical areas and address several of the suggested subtopics; however, clearly there is the possibility of overlapping topics, and the following suggested subtopics are not exhaustive. Final essays should defend a particular view rather than merely describe it, be fewer than 2000 words, and be written for the target audience. Neither proposals nor final essays should make use of AI in any way.

What is philosophy? What distinguishes philosophy from other fields?

·       Topics, Methods

·       Questions, disagreement

·       Goals, Product

·       Philosophy, science, humanities

How is philosophy done? How do the methods in philosophy compare to those in other fields?

·       Logic, reason, analysis

·       Distinctions

·       Thought experiments, intuition

·       Experimental philosophy

·       The history of philosophy

·       Phenomenology

What does philosophy do? What is the goal/purpose of philosophy?

·       Progress in philosophy

·       Philosophical knowledge

·       Applied philosophy

What is the value of philosophy?

·       Philosophy in the undergraduate curriculum

·       Philosophy and society

·       Philosophy as a way of life

·       Philosophy, knowledge, understanding, uncertainty

·       The future of philosophy

Proposals

Please submit an abstract/proposal of approximately 200-300 words clearly identifying the overarching topic your essay will address and a current CV.

Timeline

• Abstracts and CV: October 3, 2025
• Essays: February 30, 2026
• Peer review begins: March 15, 2026      
• Proposed publication: Spring 2027

Submissions/Questions

Please send your submissions/questions to Renée Smith, [email protected], or Emily McGill, [email protected], Coastal Carolina University.