Philosophy and Public Policy

This workshop on Philosophy and Public Policy is one of a series on Philosophical Activism (see below for a project overview).

   Philosophy as an academic field has become increasingly interested in the epistemic, political, ethical, social, and moral complexities that surround public policy deliberations.

On the one hand, important theoretical work is undertaken, for instance, on the application possibilities and limitations of scientific findings for good policy practice. There have been calls for something like applied philosophy of the social sciences. Others have sketched a problem-driven rather than theory-driven approach for those moral and political philosophers who aim to make their work more relevant to vexing socio-political issues like health policy, gambling, or economic regulation.

   On the other hand, from a more practical angle, philosophers have often served on governmental advisory committees (e.g., Onora O’Neill currently chairing the Equality and Human Rights Commission; Mary Warnock chairing the 1974 Warnock Committee Inquiry on Special Education) and independent bodies and charities aiming to influence public policy and understanding (e.g., Jonathan Wolff currently serving on the Responsible Gambling Trust and Homicide Review Group).

   Such contributions, both theoretical and practical, are arguably one cluster of ways to be philosophically active. It also invites philosophical reflection, though, for instance:

   a) actual and potential arguments to involve philosophers (rather than, e.g., social or natural scientists, other humanities-trained professionals, artists, …,) in public policy;

   b) what mutual expectations are at play: what do governmental or independent advisory bodies expect from philosophers and what do philosophers expect from the bodies?

   c) various ways and levels of philosophical contribution to public policy: is the contribution best understood as situated on the level of the discipline or of the individual? in what forums can meaningful contributions arise? how to understand philosophical partisanship?

   d) to what extent public policy needs—if at all—the philosopher’s skills or rather the philosopher’s command of a body of philosophical thought;

   e) what are or could be shared concerns (moral, social, religious, secular, …) of philosophers that motivate collective action in public policy; why would or should philosophers (not) engage in collective action?

   f) case studies of the complexities of philosophical involvement in public policy;

   g) how philosophers’ contributions, both theoretical and practical, may be dependent on regional and national contexts or times.

Programme committee:

Anna de Bruyckere – [email protected]

Nancy Cartwright – [email protected]

Rune Nyrup – [email protected]

Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society, Durham University

Tom Claes – [email protected]

Laszlo Kosolosky – [email protected]

Gaston Meskens – gaston.meskens@ugent.be 

Centre for Ethics and Value Inquiry, Ghent University

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‘Philosophical Activism’ - Project overview

   What is philosophical activism? What makes philosophy into philosophical activism and how does it relate to the widely accepted notion of philosophy as first and foremost a reflective endeavour? If the 'love of wisdom' motivates, as it is said, a critical systematic approach and a reliance on rational argument, under what conditions then can this critical stance become an activist stance? How does such an activist stance affect the rationality and credibility of philosophical arguments?  And why, in general, should philosophy (not) be considered activism as such?

   Answering these questions implies not only reflecting on what philosophy is, can be and perhaps should (not) be, but also on the motivations we might have to engage in philosophy and on the character of the fields and places where the philosopher seeks rapprochement as well as confrontation. Thinking through the question what philosophical activism could or should (not) be, is a self-reflective philosophical quest. At the same time, it is also an activist intervention in the positioning of philosophy in the real world.

   'Philosophical Activism' comprises a series of workshops that focus on the depths and widths of what it means to be philosophically active.

Workshops:

1) (Meta-) reflections from the field (Ghent, 15 February 2013)

2)  Expressing discontent: Appropriate or not? And if so, when, where and how? (Ghent, 25 October 2013)

3)  Philosophy and public policy (Durham, 30-31 October 2014)