Academic Philosophy Research Articles

On Testimonial and Hermeneutical (In)justices in the Use of Trans Narratives in Bedrock Gender

ABSTRACT In this article, we consider a recent philosophical attempt to narrate transgender experiences in response to what Miranda Fricker has termed ‘epistemic injustice’, against the background of highly polarized debates concerning trans identities in both academic philosophy and popular culture. We bring out some of the difficulties and challenges involved in doing epistemic justice to trans testimonies via an analysis and critique of Daniele Moyal-Sharrock and Constantine Sandis’ philosophical paper ‘Bedrock Gender’. We consider how the paper raises distinct issues related to testimonial and hermeneutical injustice in its emphasis on trans testimonies of gender certainty. In response, we consider what is at stake in understanding and using the testimony of gendered experiences for furthering a philosophical account of gender. In scrutinizing the epistemology of trans in the paper, we argue that combatting epistemic injustices related to gender requires self-reflexivity and an understanding of the complexity of gendered realities as well as the moral-existential aspects of testimonies of gender. We suggest that rather than speaking of gender in terms of ‘bedrock’ and ‘certainty’, thinking philosophically about gender must involve a critical investigation and ongoing conversation of how gender identification can both confirm and contest our sense of who we are.

Ring Composition and the Skepticism of the De Republica

Abstract The fragmentary state of Cicero’s De Republica makes it difficult to see how it is a unified work. In this article, I argue that Cicero uses ring composition to unify the dialogue as a polemic against the Epicurean prohibition on political involvement. Cicero is following Plato in his use of ring composition, and just as Plato uses ring composition in the Republic to express his views about philosophical method, so does Cicero. Ring composition turns out to be central to a plausible skeptical reading of the De Republica, in which Cicero both tries to induce suspension of belief in the Epicurean prohibition on political involvement, as well as prevent the reader from unreflectively adopting his own provisionally held views, both consistent with his commitment to the pedagogical aims of Academic skeptical philosophy.

Robert Bernasconi and the challenges of a Critical Philosophy of Race: (Un)learning to read and teach the history of moral philosophy

This essay is an attempt to determine what Robert Bernasconi’s body of work in Critical Philosophy of Race can teach us about the way in which we, philosophers and professors of philosophy, ought to treat our institutional heritage. What should we make, for instance, of moral claims made by philosophers of the modern era who – tacitly or explicitly – manifested certain levels of endorsement toward the Atlantic Slave Trade? How should we comprehend the conceptual tools that we have inherited from them, knowing that those were formulated alongside justificatory claims for the enslavement of Africans – claims that we now deem undoubtably and universally immoral? I extract from Bernasconi’s writings an implicit methodology that can be broken down into three main moves: (1) a historiographical work, akin to Michel Foucault’s ‘archaeological’ method, aimed at uncovering the material conditions that allowed for the emergence of philosophical ideas of the past, (2) a dialectical work aimed at interpreting this collection of historical data through the critical lens of race, and (3) a pedagogical work aimed at transforming the practice of academic philosophy in light of the critique. I conclude that his methodological contribution culminates in an invitation to revisit and transform the past of the institution by treating the history of academic philosophy as philosophically and conceptually relevant rather than merely incidental. Such a commitment toward critically engaging the past of our institution urges us to revisit the canon in specific ways.

Thinking and Unthinking the Present: Philosophy after Foucault

What might a contemporary philosophical practice after and following Foucault look like? After briefly analyzing Foucault’s rather ambiguous stance towards academic philosophy in his posthumously published Le discours philosophique, we argue for continuing his historico-philosophical practice of diagnosing the present. This means taking up his analytic heuristic (with its three dimensions of power, knowledge and subjectivity) rather than his more concrete diagnostic concepts and the specific historical results they yield. We argue that the common methodological operation on each of the three axis is to shift the perspective from the given legitimacies, norms, identities and selves to their historical, conflict-ridden emergence. Practicing philosophy in this way allows developing Foucauldian contributions in two contemporary philosophical debates: critical ontology and political epistemology. While ontology and epistemology might seem surprising fields to work in for philosophers inspired by and critically loyal to Foucault, we attempt to dispel these reservations and illustrate the stakes in both debates, pointing to the urgent issues of ecological questions and of the problematization of untruths in politics respectively.

Introduction: Falling Between Two Schools

Abstract This introductory article situates research into Islamic notions of pacifism and nonviolence by considering interpretive challenges that include the history of Eurocentrism and the challenge of interdisciplinarity. It argues that both academic Philosophers and Religious Studies specialists confront a range of disciplinary challenges in interpreting and explaining Islamic nonviolence and pacifism. Moreover, the paper argues that the neglect of Islamic nonviolence in the modern Western academy is also the result of residual Eurocentrism, reflected in the fact that Christian nonviolence is better known and more widely studied in the Anglo-American world than Islamic nonviolence. This introductory article proposes that paying attention to disciplinary silos and Eurocentric biases can help explain the neglect of Islamic pacifism. This neglect is a contingent result of historical, cultural, and disciplinary factors; and there is no valid reason to exclude Islamic nonviolence from academic study.

Islamic Educational Philosophy's View of Humans

This research aims to analyse the nature of man, the purpose of life, and the role of man in learning based on Islamic philosophical perspectives. The research explores how these concepts shape an Islamic educational approach that emphasises the development of the individual as a whole, empowerment, and fulfilment of human potential to create a moral and ethical human being who can combine knowledge with noble behaviour. The research method uses a qualitative approach with library research. Data collection techniques involved in-depth analyses of relevant literature, including academic journals, philosophy books, and scholarly writings on Islamic education and the concept of man. The data were analysed descriptively to understand and interpret the philosophical concept in the context of Islamic education. In the Islamic view, the results showed that humans are noble creatures before Allah SWT, with perfect physiques and extraordinary potential compared to other creatures. Humans consist of both body and mind, making them unique and cannot be treated like fully controlled robots. This research asserts that human development in Islamic education should include both physical and spiritual aspects balanced, including morals, ethics, spirituality and science. With their potential, human beings should be directed to achieve perfection as obedient servants of Allah and become individuals who benefit society and the environment. Understanding human nature from an Islamic perspective is an important basis for designing an effective and holistic Islamic education curriculum and approach.

The practical turn in philosophy: A revival of the ancient art of living through modern philosophical practice

AbstractPhilosophical practice, an art of living rooted in ancient traditions, is enriched by modern techniques such as individual counseling, Socratic group dialogues, and organizational consulting. Philosophical counseling, a key aspect of this practice, employs traditional philosophical frameworks and rational reasoning to address clients' concerns, distinguishing itself from psychotherapy while respecting individual autonomy. The growing Western interest in Asian philosophies also underscores a shared pursuit of wisdom, spirituality, and meaning. This paper examines the development, key features, and leading proponents of philosophical practice, its relationship with academic philosophy, and the tensions between their differing aims and methods. The outlook for philosophical counseling is promising, offering an alternative to medical approaches for existential issues and expanding its scope to personal guidance, conflict resolution, and life‐skill development. Its future trajectory hinges on societal trends toward secularization, the de‐medicalization of mental health, and the increasing recognition of philosophy's intrinsic practical value.

Alois Riehls Blick auf Friedrich Nietzsche und sein Verhältnis zu Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche

Abstract Alois Riehl’s View of Friedrich Nietzsche and His Relationship with Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche. Alois Riehl and Friedrich Nietzsche were contemporaries – both were born in the same year, 1844. But the philosophical paths they followed could hardly be more different. Nevertheless, Riehl recognized Nietzsche as one of the most important thinkers of his time. He was one of the first academic philosophers to devote a detailed analysis to Nietzsche’s writings. And Riehl saw in Nietzsche’s work a complementary counterpart to the scientific philosophy that he developed in his Philosophical Criticism. At the heart of the present paper is a speech given by Riehl on October 15, 1903, on the occasion of the reopening of the Villa Silberblick and the unveiling of Max Klinger’s bust of Nietzsche. The argument is divided into three parts. First, it reconstructs the background to these events historically in light of the friendly relationship between Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche and Riehl, as well as Riehl’s hesitation to give a speech. Second, Riehl’s ambivalent attitude in his reception of Nietzsche is analyzed through a close reading of his text. Third, the paper concludes with a final look at the specific event of October 15, 1903, based on historical material.

Дэниел Деннет: человек и философ

The article is devoted to the personality and work of the American philosopher D.C. Dennett. The main stages of his life, his key works and ideas are consid­ered. The importance of his books “Content and Consciousness” as the basis for all his subsequent constructions and “Consciousness Explained” as Dennett’s main philosophical achievement is pointed out. Special attention is paid to the Dennett’s theories of intentionality and consciousness. It is shown that Dennett’s belief in the illusory nature of human consciousness was combined in a nontrivial way with his recognition of the reality of human free will. The author also discusses the evolution of his theory of consciousness and some probable causes of its transformations. It is shown that from a theorist of mind who worked on the verge of paradoxes and did not fear counterintuitive claims, Dennett shifted to posi­tions expressing the general sentiments of cognitive scientists. Dennett’s dislike of academic philosophy is also demonstrated and its causes and significance are discussed. Based on the author’s own observations and Dennett’s autobiographi­cal texts, an attempt is made to reconstruct the main features of his character and personality. The article argues that, despite his critical attitude towards academic philosophy, Dennett had a positive influence on it and that philosophers should not lose his legacy

Slavery's absence from histories of moral and political philosophy

AbstractAt a time when many institutions of higher learning are reflecting on their past complicity with chattel slavery, either in terms of the sources of their funding or their use of slave labor, philosophy as an academic discipline has been largely silent about its own complicity. Questions surrounding the legitimacy and practice of slavery were a regular part of moral philosophy courses at universities from the sixteenth century until its abolition. However, the discussions of slavery found in the dominant textbooks tended to be deeply conservative judged even by the standards of those times. This partly explains why after emancipation the many moral questions posed by slavery are barely mentioned in survey histories of ethics or of political philosophy today: this is a context in which academic philosophy does not show itself to its best advantage. The present article explores what academic philosophers need to do to redress the discipline's past failures, including its virtual silence about slavery since the Civil War. Given today's political environment, academic philosophers need to reflect on how the discipline in its institutional form functions within a system governed by the legacy of slavery and its aftermath.

Philosophical research in Brazil: A structural topic modeling approach with a focus on temporal and gender trends

AbstractThis paper employs structural topic modeling (STM) to describe the academic philosophy landscape in Brazil. Based on a public national database, a corpus consisting of 12,515 abstracts of monographs defended in philosophy graduate programs between 1991 and 2021 was compiled. The final STM model identified 74 meaningful research topics, clustered into 7 thematic categories. This study discusses the prevalence of the most significant topics and categories, their trends across three decades, and their (positive or negative) association with the supervisor's gender. Results show the first empirical evidence that Brazilian philosophical research exhibits a greater focus on philosophers than on specific themes or problems. Moreover, by visualizing the variations in topic prevalence over time, it was possible to track the rise or decline of the major interest categories and topics. Finally, results also show which topics are more influenced or less influenced by gender.

Critical Contextual Empiricism and the Politics of Knowledge

What are philosophers doing when they prescribe a particular epistemology for science? According to science and technology studies, the answer to this question implicates both knowledge and politics, even when the latter is hidden. Exploring this dynamic via a specific case, I argue that Longino’s “critical contextual empiricism” ultimately relies on a form of political liberalism. Her choice to nevertheless foreground epistemological concerns can be clarified by considering historical relationships between science and society, as well as the culture of academic philosophy. This example, I conclude, challenges philosophers of science to consider the political ideals and accountability entailed by their prescribed knowledge practices.

“Meine Stimme auf der Suche nach ihrem Weg” – Eine Rekonstruktion des Personalismus M. A. Lahbabis aus der Erfahrung von Gefangenschaft und Exil

Abstract The postcolonial discourse in the Maghrib was dominated by the political Left for a long time. Thus, other approaches of coming to terms with the experience of colonialism were marginalized. It was Abdelkébir Khatibi’s book Maghreb Pluriel which made it possible to acknowledge these other discourses in their own way of criticizing colonialism, without reading them from the beginning with a hermeneutics of suspicion. In establishing one of these discourses the founder of the modern Moroccan academic philosophy, Mohamed Aziz Lahbabi, played a substantial role: His experience of depersonalization during the colonial period was the starting point for his search of being a person, and for his personalist philosophy.

Disagreement and Progress in Philosophy and in Empirical Sciences

ABSTRACT The fact that philosophy has not made much progress in finding answers to its big questions is often demonstrated with a comparison to natural sciences. Some have recently argued that the state of progress in philosophy is not so different than the sciences: there are many unresolved big questions in the sciences too, and philosophy has made progress on its smaller questions just like the sciences. I argue that this comparison is misleading: the situation in the two fields looks similar only if we focus on unresolved scientific questions that have philosophical import. The sciences have made progress on many questions that are significant but that are not ‘big’ in a philosophical sense, while philosophy has made less progress on its own significant questions. Moreover, ‘smaller’ questions in the sciences are significant in themselves, while smaller questions in philosophy do not have much significance beyond their contribution to the bigger debates. I conclude with brief remarks about what underlies the disparity between the two fields: to understand the slow pace of progress in philosophy we should pay attention to factors that are at the intersection of the nature of philosophical questions, current philosophical methodology and the sociology of academic philosophy.

Responsibility over Rules: A Confucian-Inspired Approach to Post-Comparative Ethics

As cultures become increasingly involved, attempts are made to find productive lines along which ethical understandings can be developed which respect diversity and yet go beyond simplistic comparisons. Much of the discussion in this area is squarely situated within existing religious or philosophical frameworks—and these, in turn, are in the aggregate decidedly based on Western traditions. This paper proposes a philosophical-religious reading of Confucianism, especially with respect to its appreciation of ethical responsibility based on the importance of community, tradition, and norms, as a foundation for developing post comparative ethical approaches. The majority of the paper is centered on reading of responsibility in early Confucian texts which challenges the assumptions of contemporary academic philosophy (as practiced in classrooms, journals, and conferences) and fits into a decidedly Chinese way of thinking about religion that can be used to go beyond simplistic comparisons. This offers, in terms of both the approach being used and the specific content, an avenue for constructing post-comparative understandings of ethics.

The Pathos of Finitude

Abstract Although it is sometimes construed as a mere negation of philosophical discourse, François Laruelle maintains that there is a positive side to his project of “nonphilosophy.” Often this takes the form of a defense of the “ordinary man,” a faceless individual, without qualities, defined by absolute finitude. Laruelle claims to articulate a rigorous science of man, capable of thinking human individuals in their essence, outside the philosophical interpellation to which they are usually submitted. This science intends to finally break apart the post-Kantian empirico-transcendental doublet, which is, for Laruelle, emblematic of the divided, fragmented, and alienated figure with which philosophy has always (mis)represented man. It does this by relinquishing all empirical and figural content in the name of an uncompromising formalism—a purely transcendental method. Yet, despite this intention, a preoccupation with subjective finitude, and the pathos derived from it, is both retained and amplified, describing an invariably fraught relationship between the ordinary man and the extraordinary world furnished by philosophy. Ultimately, nonphilosophy offers less a science of ordinary individuals and more an ethos for academic philosophers, guiding its readers toward a specific subject position, achieved through an ongoing labor of abstraction.

«Власть ключей» и исповедь: пастырская власть в «Шести чтениях о Таинстве Покаяния в его истории» прот. Валентина Свенцицкого

This article focuses on the concept of pastoral power as presented by Fr Valentine Sventzitsky in his text “Six Readings on the Sacrament of Penance in its History”, which is significant for contemporary Russian Orthodoxy. Opposing the practice of general confession in the 1920s, he contrasts it with private confession, basing his arguments on pre-revolutionary studies of penitential practices and priesthood. At the same time, in Sventzitsky’s text, academic theses undergo a significant transformation in connection with his historiosophic and religious-philosophical ideas. First of all, he uses in this context the theory of the gradual unfolding of the Church's self-consciousness in history and projects this theory onto the theological reflection on the development of the forms of the Sacraments. In the same vein, in relation to ecclesiastical practices, he applies the theory of the historical differentiation in the Church of good and evil. In this context we analyze Sventzitsky's ideas about the secularization of the Church, to which he contrasts the active spiritualization of all life and formulates this call in the idea of a monastery in the world. The article shows what place the priest has in the formation of the monastery in the world. Against this background, the analysis of representations of pastoral power both in the “Readings” and in other texts by Sventzitsky, and correlating them with the sources on which he relies, allows us to highlight his thesis about the transformation of this type of power in history. The author of the Readings identifies three characteristic periods in which pastoral power changed from its public dimension in the ancient Church, communal — in Byzantine monasteries and Russian parish churches, and, finally, personal-psychological — in the context of the Soviet period. These three types of pastoral power are analyzed by Sventzitsky in connection with the transformation in historical perspective of the forms of confession, the continuity of the “power of the keys” in the Church, and the actualization of obedience in church life. From this perspective, Sventzitsky offers a theological justification for the established practice of confession, which he constructs as a bricolage of Russian academic theology and philosophy.

Kant’s analysis of the soul: correlation with the body, and the problem of existence

The article highlights the conceptual issues related to Kant’s analysis of the soul, a concept of utmost importance for the metaphysics and psychology of German academic philosophy (Schulphilosophie) of the Enlightenment was significantly dependent on the developed and systematically presented philosophical and scientific ideas and concepts of Christian Wolff. Kantian philosophy, its themes, and conceptual language were formed in the crucible of Wolfean discourse, and from the early 1770s in the struggle against it, which led to the emergence of a new, critical philosophy – transcendental idealism, in which the problem of the soul, consciousness, and self-awareness became fundamental. It is this issue that was thoroughly covered in the «Critique of Pure Reason» and other works that were published later, after the first Critique. The article draws attention to Kant’s Lectures, which, on the one hand, demonstrate his critical attitude towards the so-called Wolfians, their metaphysics, and psychology, and, on the other hand, the lecture materials illustrate Kant's new conceptual position, and, what is important, develop, supplement and clarify it. The sources of Kant’s lectures are highlighted, taking into account the fact that we have at our disposal lecture notes, the authors of which are either unknown or, if known, their authorship is still somewhat doubtful, since they are notes that different people have rewritten. The article analyses lecture notes on psychology, the authors of which are more or less well-known, and experts recognize these notes as quite valid. The conceptual content of these lectures allows us to look at Kant’s understanding of the problem of the soul in a somewhat broader context compared to the «Critique of Pure Reason», where this problem is analyzed in connection with the paralogisms of reason and the transcendental deduction of categories. In his lectures on psychology, Kant draws attention to the problem of the interaction of the soul with the human body, the «location of the soul», linking it not so much to the organs of the human body (for example, the head) as to the location of a person as a bodily being in the world makes all acts of consciousness, self-awareness, and sense perception possible. Kant emphasizes the basic importance of such a spatial location of a person for the soul, as something that belongs to a person with a certain integrity, and not a separate organ, to act properly, to perform its cognitive functions. The article analyses the problem of existence, which is important for critical philosophy, its various modalities, and predication, with a special emphasis on the problem of the existence of metaphysical objects - the soul, God, and the world as a whole.

Philosophy Moves

ABSTRACT In this paper, I introduce the notion of ‘philosophy moves’: prominent tropes featured in contemporary academic philosophy. Moves are more than patterns—they are tools for advancing and enriching philosophical debates. By recognizing these patterns in the philosophical literature, we collect an ensemble of moves for deployment in novel contexts, each with the potential to forge new paths of philosophical investigation through a given topic. The moves featured in this paper are constructive and progressive, with the potential to push past stalemates and open a wider conceptual landscape. Following a presentation of five exemplars taken from the philosophy of biology literature, I show how different moves could be made within a current interdisciplinary debate. Overall, I aim to demonstrate that recognizing these patterns is insightful pedagogically and potentially useful when used as part of one’s philosophical methodology.

“It takes a village to write a really good paper”: A normative framework for peer reviewing in philosophy

AbstractThat there is a “crisis of peer review” at the moment is not in dispute, but sufficient attention has not yet been paid to the normative potential that lies in current calls for reform. In contrast to approaches to “fixing” the problems in peer review, which tend to maintain the status quo in terms of professionalising opportunities, this paper addresses the needs of philosophers and how peer‐review reform can be an opportunity to improve the academic discipline of philosophy, whereby progress is understood as making the discipline more fair to the global academic community and more conducive to the flourishing of academic philosophers. The paper evaluates recent categories of relevant norms and correlating reforms. In conclusion, it recommends that philosophy pursue the norms of transparency and democracy explicitly when proposing peer‐review reform and suggest that proposals for forum‐based models of peer review are most likely to support those norms.