Public Philosophy Network on Youtube

The Public Philosophy Network has a Youtube channel. Please subscribe!

In April, we held a livestreamed workshop on “How to Write Philosophy Op-Eds,” now available for viewing on Youtube. This is an excellent opportunity to hear expert writing advice from David Johnson, Jason Stanley, Olivia Goldhill, Lee McIntyre, Regina Rini, and John Macready. They share information and suggestions for generating ideas, approaching editors, making use of the news cycle, and writing for public, rather than academic, audiences.

In May, PPN has started a series of “Short Talks,” each 10-15 minutes on topics of general philosophical interest.
#1: Megan Dean (Hamilton College), “Why It Matters How We Eat”
#2: Jennifer Scuro (College of New Rochelle), “Helpfulness and Helplessness in the Time of COVID-19”

Panel on "Should Philosophers Be Advocates?" at the Central APA

Please join PPN at the Central APA in Chicago on Sat., February 29, from 2 - 5pm for a panel on:

Should Philosophers Be Advocates?

Chair:
Ben Almassi (Governors State University)

Speakers:
Evelyn Brister (Rochester Institute of Technology), "Partisans, Enablers, and Honest Brokers: Activism and Credibility”

Eugene Chislenko (Temple University), ”The Role of Philosophers in Climate Change”

Ben Almassi (Governors State University), “Advocacy in Reparative Justice”

Taylor Ann Rogers (Northwestern University), “Epistemic Resilience, Emotional Numbess, and Why Public Philosophy Matters”

Ask a Philosopher Booths in Philadelphia

The APA and PPN are co-sponsoring a series of Ask a Philosopher booths, to run throughout the Eastern APA conference. (If you've never been to a booth: a few philosophers hang out and talk with passersby about their philosophical questions. It's a great opportunity to do some public philosophy, and to meet some likeminded philosophers while you're at it.)

It's at Suburban Station (16th St. and JFK), a few blocks from the conference center. Here's the schedule:
January 8th, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
January 9th, 10:00 AM to noon
January 10th, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
January 11th, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Please email ianolasov@gmail.com if you would like to participate for an hour or two. And please drop by even if you can’t work the booth!

Eastern APA Group Session

PPN will soon have its very first Group Session at an APA meeting! It will be held on Thursday, January 9th from 12:15 to 2:15 at the APA Meeting in Philadelphia. The session is on "Philosophical Progress through Public Philosophy."

Ian Olasov (CUNY), “Public Philosophy and Philosophical Progress”

Cristina Cammarano (Salisbury University), “Becoming a Better Thinker, Teacher, and Writer: Thoughts from the Tenure Track on How Philosophy for/with Children Improves Me as a Philosopher"

Thi Nguyen (Utah Valley University), “Seductions of Clarity”

Joint Forum on Climate Change, Dec. 10 2019

The Public Philosophy Network is joining with Philosophers for Sustainability, The Thinking Space (UK) and The Philosophy Club (Australia) to hold a community discussion forum by Zoom video conference on Tuesday, December 10, 1-2:30pm East Coast USA and Canada. This will be a great opportunity for members of all three groups to meet each other and think together about how public philosophy can effectively respond to climate change. The forum will begin with brief opening remarks by Grace Lockrobin of The Thinking Space, Evelyn Brister of the Public Philosophy Network, and Andrew Light, former senior State Department climate negotiator, joining us from COP25 in Madrid, followed by open discussion moderated by Rebecca Millsop of Philosophers for Sustainability, with Eugene Chislenko of Philosophers for Sustainability co-organizing the forum. 

To obtain the Zoom call-in link, email Evelyn Brister, elbgsl@rit.edu.

The Forum will be by video conference using Zoom. You can join from your computer or smartphone, or if you prefer, by audio only using your computer or any phone. You do not need a Zoom account to join the Forum, but you will need to download the free Zoom application for your computer or smartphone to use video.

PPN Group Sessions at 2020 Divisional APA Meetings

In 2020, the Public Philosophy Network will host affiliated group sessions at all 3 APA meetings for the first time ever.

Here’s the lineup!

2020 Eastern Division APA Meeting in Philadelphia, PA

Philosophical Progress Through Public Philosophy
Ian Olasov (CUNY): ”Public Philosophy and Philosophical Progress” 
Christina Cammarano (Salisbury University): "Becoming a Better Thinker, Teacher, and Writer: Thoughts from the Tenure Track on How Philosophy for/with Children Improves Me as a Philosopher” 
Thi Nguyen (Utah Valley University): "Seductions of Clarity”

2020 Central Division APA Meeting in Chicago, IL on Sat., Feb. 29, 2-5pm

Should Philosophers Be Advocates?
Evelyn Brister (Rochester Institute of Technology) “Partisans, Enablers, and Honest Brokers: Activism and Credibility”
Eugene Chislenko (Temple University): "The Role of Philosophers in Climate Change”
Ben Almassi (Governors State University), “Advocacy in Reparative Justice”
Taylor Ann Rogers (Northwestern University), “Epistemic Resilience, Emotional Numbess, and Why Public Philosophy Matters”

2020 Pacific Division APA Meeting in San Francisco, CA on Thurs., April 9, 8-10pm

Political Representation

Moderator: Ronald R. Sundstrom (University of San Francisco)

Speakers:
Wendy Salkin (Stanford University)
Liam Kofi Bright (London School of Economics)
Linda Martín Alcoff (Hunter College)
Alisa Bierria (University of California, Riverside)

Engaged Philosophy Interview Series

Please visit the series of interviews the marvelous folks at Engaged Philosophy are doing with members of the Public Philosophy Network. Engaged Philosophy is a website that presents resources and strategies for creating civic engagement in philosophy classrooms. A brand new interview will be posted every week or so right up until our conference at Michigan State University in October.

Nancy McHugh, Todd Franklin, Ian Olasov, and Evelyn Brister, officers of PPN, give the first interview—all about what public philosophy is and the good things that PPN has been up to and has planned for the near future.

PPN Conference 2019: Philosophy from All Walks of Life

Registration is now OPEN for the 5th Public Philosophy Network Conference:

REGISTER HERE

Michigan State University is hosting the conference on October 17-19, 2019 in East Lansing, MI. The conference features

  • a field trip to the Boggs Center in Detroit

  • keynote talks by Myisha Cherry, Kristie Dotson, and Daniel Wildcat

  • workshops on doing public philosophy effectively

  • reports on public philosophy projects

  • reflections on strengthening the community of public philosophers.

A complete program and schedule will be available soon. We’re looking forward to welcoming public philosophers of all types and “from all walks of life” in October.

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PPN Conference 2019 at Michigan State University

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PPN’s fifth conference will be held October 17-19, 2019 at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. The conference theme is “Philosophy from All Walks of Life.” Proposals are invited for workshops (300 word description), papers (300 word abstract), and panels (500 words—including abstracts, overall description, and panelist information). Proposals are due Feb. 28, 2019 and should be submitted to https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ppn2019.