Merlin CCC awarded PPN Events Sponsorship for Fall 2023

The PPN Events Committee is very pleased to announce that Marisa Diaz-Waian and Mitch Conway of Merlin CCC have won the PPN Events Sponsorship award for Fall 2023. Merlin CCC, a dynamic public philosophy organization based in Helena, Montana, is developing an interview and discussion series on homelessness in Helena, culminating in a short film.

We received a number of excellent submissions from public philosophers working with under-served communities around the globe. It was not easy to choose between them.

We’ll share more details with you as the project unfolds, but for now: congratulations to Marisa, Mitch, and the Merlin CCC team! We are proud to help make this urgent, creative project a reality.

Public Philosophy Network Events Sponsorship - Fall 2023

The Public Philosophy Network is offering grants of up to $1000, as well as promotional support, to philosophers organizing public philosophy events. The events can be public-facing events working with communities outside of academic philosophy, as part of PPN's Philosophy for Everyone series. They can also be events for public philosophers themselves. Early career philosophers, philosophy students, and philosophers working both inside and outside of academia are all encouraged to apply.

PPN is open to sponsoring a broad range of events, but applicants should consider how their proposals relate to PPN's mission: "to support philosophers who use their concepts and skills to serve communities outside of academia and to make positive changes in society; to reflect on how philosophy is transformed by various types of public engagement; [and] to support institutional changes supportive of publicly engaged work." Past PPN events may provide some additional guidance. Applicants proposing public-facing events should also consider our guidelines for best practices, available here.

Please apply here! Applications will close on November 13th, 2023.

Only current PPN members are eligible to apply. To become a PPN member, please visit our website: https://www.publicphilosophynetwork.net/membership 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to PPN President Ian Olasov at ianolasov@gmail.com.

2023 PPN Conference: Facing Technology

Registration for the 7th Public Philosophy Network Conference, on the theme of "Facing Technology: The Role of Public Philosophy," is now open! The conference will be hosted by the Center for Public Philosophy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in partnership with the Baskin School of Engineering and the UC Santa Cruz Humanities Division.

Please register here.

The conference dates are September 8-10, 2023. The deadline for registration is August 11, 2023.

Check out the conference program below!

CFP for Pacific APA Group Session

The Public Philosophy Network group session

at the 2024 Pacific Division Meeting of the APA

The Public Philosophy Network is inviting proposals for the group session at the upcoming Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, to be held March 20th to 23rd, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. We are interested in proposals for individual papers, traditional sessions (a set of papers on a common topic to be presented and discussed), and/or workshops (interactive sessions designed to teach participants how to practice innovative or under-recognized forms of public philosophy).

Possible topics include:

• Reflections on the philosophical significance of the practice of public philosophy

• The history of public philosophy

• Comparative or global approaches to public philosophy

• The relationship between philosophy and activism

• Empirical studies of the impact of public philosophy projects

• Public engagement surrounding ethics and technology

• Reports on innovative public philosophy projects

Proposals for individual papers should include a title, the name and affiliation of the presenter, and an abstract of no more than 300 words. Proposals for traditional sessions should include the name of the session, the title of each paper, the name and affiliation of the presenter(s) of each paper, and an abstract for each paper of no more than 300 words. Proposals for workshops should include a title, the name and affiliation of the workshop facilitators, and a description of the goals and activities to be conducted at the workshop of no more than 300 words. (Proposals will be anonymized for review internally.)

Proposals should be emailed to PPN Vice President Ian Olasov (ianolasov@gmail.com) no later than September 13th, 2023. Submitters will be notified whether their proposals have been accepted by September 27th.

PPN Affiliate Session at Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy Annual Meeting

PPN will host a session at the 2023 SAAP annual meeting in Denver on

Pragmatism Gets Outdoors

Chair: Zachary Piso (University of Dayton)

Speakers:

Samantha Noll (Washington State University), "Public Philosophy Down on the Farm: Lessons from Agricultural Pragmatism”

Amanda Corris (Wake Forest University), “A Pragmatist Lens on Outdoor Education”

Evelyn Brister (Rochester Institute of Technology), “Environmental Pragmatism and Strategies for Engaged Philosophy”

The session takes place Thursday, March 9, at 1pm.

APA Webinar on “Institutional Support for Public Philosophy: Hiring, Tenure, and Promotion”

Professional philosophers have come to see the importance of public engagement more and more in recent years. But individual philosophy departments and colleges are still figuring out how this should be reflected in procedures for hiring, tenure, and promotion. How can philosophy departments and colleges support the practice of public philosophy? What challenges do supporters of public philosophy face, and how can they be addressed? This webinar, co-organized by the Public Philosophy Network and the APA, brings together four panelists to share their ideas, experiences, and resources to help make the academy a more nurturing home for public philosophy.

The panelists for the webinar are as follows:

• Linda Martín Alcoff, Hunter College, CUNY Graduate Center

• A. Todd Franklin, Hamilton College

• Sandra Lapointe, McMaster University

• Eric Schwitzgebel, University of California, Riverside

• Ian Olasov, Brooklyn College, CUNY Graduate Center (facilitator)

The event will be held on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 7 p.m. Eastern time / 4 p.m. Pacific time. To participate, click the "Register" button above. Registration will be available until 10 a.m. Eastern time / 7 a.m. Pacific time on the day of the webinar, and access information will be provided to registrants at least one hour prior to the start of the webinar. Registration is limited to current APA and Public Philosophy Network members.

Please register here to reserve your spot!

2022 Summer Workshop: Field Philosophy

Wed, Jun 8, 2022 - Fri, Jun 10, 2022

The Public Philosophy Network welcomes applications to participate in a workshop to be held June 8 - 10, 2022 at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.

Workshop Directors:
Evelyn Brister, Professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology
Robert Frodeman, former Professor of Philosophy

21st century philosophy is developing new formats and growing in public visibility, creating new research opportunities while answering calls for greater relevance. This workshop will increase the capacity of philosophers to work effectively with policymakers and communities through a set of strategies called Field Philosophy (Brister and Frodeman 2020). 

This workshop is targeted at late-stage graduate students and faculty looking to develop philosophical practices that engage with non-philosophers on policy issues related to science, technology, environment, education, or government. Participants will acquire skills and become part of an ongoing community of engaged scholars. 

Applicants should have policy-relevant research interests and a potential field project in mind. Participants will receive advice on how to shape a field philosophy research program. Workshop leaders and participants will provide peer feedback on projects, with the long-term goal of forming a continuing, supportive community of field philosophers.

The workshop will improve collaborative and facilitative skills for working with non-philosophers across the university, the public and private sectors, and NGOs. Participants will sharpen their skills in framing and clarifying complex social problems. 

The deadline for submission is March 18, 2022; participants will be notified of acceptance by March 30. Please apply via email to elbgsl@rit.edu.

To apply, please provide:

1. A one-page CV

2. A 300-word statement of a policy problem that briefly addresses how philosophers might contribute to understanding and addressing the issue.

Pacific APA Session: Public Philosophy as Scholarship

The PPN Group Session at the 2022 Pacific APA in Vancouver is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, 6pm - 8pm.

This session will be structured as a panel discussion, with Michael Burroughs, Vice President for PPN acting as moderator. The discussants will include Tiffany Tsantsoulas (California State University, Bakersfield), Robert Eli Sanchez, Jr. (Occidental College), Perry Zurn (American University), Kristopher Phillips (Southern Utah University), and Ian Olasov (City University of New York).

The discussants will be giving their thoughts on questions about public philosophy as a form of scholarship, including:

• In your view, what counts as public philosophy research? Does philosophical research that addresses or connects (in any way) to pressing issues in the world count as "public philosophy" research? Or is public philosophy research of a more specific kind with distinct aims and styles of approach?

• What role can research play in advancing public philosophy in our profession and discipline?

• Are there strategic areas of research or focal points that should be prioritized in order to grow the field of public philosophy in constructive directions?

• In contrast to traditional forms of philosophical scholarship, public philosophy is often thought of as a practice-focused form of philosophy, including diverse forms of engaged activity in collaboration with communities beyond the university. What is public philosophy research in this understanding, given that research is often written for and by professional philosophers?

Public Philosophy, Education, and Social Justice

Education and Social Justice are cornerstones of a flourishing society. PPN is partnering with PLATO and the Kegley Institute of Ethics to host a Zoom panel discussion (webinar) on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific.

The fourth in a series of PLATO webinars, this event will feature an in-depth panel discussion of cultivating impactful and innovative philosophy programming toward ends of social justice and will be moderated by Dr. Michael Burroughs, Director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at CSU Bakersfield.  

Please register for the webinar here.

Event panelists include: Dr. Briana Toole (Founder, Corrupt the Youth), Dr. Sol Neely (Founder, The Flying University),Dr. Kyle Robertson (Leader, Ethics Bowl, Children & Jail Programs, UC Santa Cruz Center for Public Philosophy), and Adam Blazej (Coordinator, Rethink).

Ask-a-Philosopher Booth in Baltimore, Jan. 5 - 8, 2022

Sadly, this event was canceled due to Covid restrictions. We’ll try again next year!

In conjunction with the American Philosophical Association’s Eastern Division annual meeting in Baltimore, MD on January 5 - 8, 2022, PPN will be holding an Ask-a-Philosopher booth at Lexington Market (400 W. Lexington Street). The booth will be open from 11am - 3pm each day. Philosophers who would like to participate can sign up by emailing Ian Olasov.

We had a great time doing this at the last in-person APA conference!

To learn more about ask-a-philosopher events, check out Ian’s blog post and his book!