The chorus of philosophy: communicative praxis at the intersection of philosophy and literature

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this Introduction, I make the case for an interdisciplinary exchange between philosophy, literature, and communication studies that explores the ontological question of being through an analysis of the communicative acts constitutive of being human. Literature provides the grounds on which the philosophical exploration of communication is carried out. To clarify the proposed inquiry, I re-imagine the possibility of a “natural science” native to the humanities through an appropriation of Aristotle. A sketch of a theory of literature is advanced so the structure and significance of the essays presented in this special issue are made clear and they can be oriented in relation to the existing field of communication studies. The theoretical sketch explains what I mean by a “natural science,” namely, coming to understand the ways by which we become human through our communicative praxis. After showing how the essays collected here each speak to the guiding theory that structures the special issue, I conclude with a general call for interdisciplinarity coalesced around the ancient axiom “Know Thyself.” Such a call offers a succinct statement of the mission of humanistic studies as envisioned within this special issue.