Excellence and Relevance: a centre for philosophical ARETÉ to upgrade a peripheral region

Dr. Ayelet Shavit (Tel Hai College), Yael Silver (Tel Hai College)

Abstract

We argue that philosophical activism promotes academic excellence via social relevance, at least in some cases. We will demonstrate this claim by presenting a case of establishing a centre for philosophical ARETÉ(Activist Research of Eco-social Traditions that promote Excellence), in the most peripheral and remote region in Israel: the Upper Galilee. ‘Areté’ referred to a combination of character excellence and practical success, grounded in a person's intellectual and moral merit and materialized by one’s involvement in the world. For Zeno and Socrates philosophy was not only a theoretical endeavour but also a transformative way of life. The objective of the ARETÉ centre, in echo with its ancient meanings and heroes, is to galvanize an activist and interdisciplinary academic profile that seeks and enables knowledge in free academic courses in underprivileged neighbourhoods (“Town-Square Academia”). Such an academia is not “generous” or “benevolent” but aims for excellence by noticing local knowledge and teaching relevant knowledge. Thus the courses of Town-Square Academia are taught outside the campus walls, by volunteering senior academic lecturers alongside expert laymen and with group-tasks rather than exams. ‘Philosophical activism’ here means not only the transfer of established knowledge but also the documentation of local tacit knowledge, reflection and application of this knowledge to regional policies. We will discuss the complexities of reaching a rigorous and democratic academia in a highly diverse region without a single accepted context of justification; and we will show how reflecting on theARETÉ centre can unfold important characteristics of philosophical activism, relevant to all those who attempt to challenge the boundaries between science and society while studying their multifaceted interactions.