Ways of life as modes of presentation

Bibliographic Data

ID6190860
AuthorsBrylea Hollinshead (Department of Philosophy University of Canterbury Private Bag 4800 Christchurch 8140 South Island New Zealand), Michael-John Turp (0000-0002-1398-7161, Department of Philosophy University of Canterbury Private Bag 4800 Christchurch 8140 South Island New Zealand)
Year2021
Volume31
Issue4
Pages429-438
Publication date2021-10-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1210-3055 • E-ISSN: 1337-401X
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/humaff-2021-0037
OpenAlexW3205912819
LanguageEN
References cited17

Books and journal articles have become the dominant modes of presentation in contemporary philosophy. This historically contingent paradigm prioritises textual expression and assumes a distinction between philosophical practice and its presented product. Using Socrates and Diogenes as exemplars, we challenge the presumed supremacy of the text and defend the importance of ways of life as modes of practiced presentation. We argue that text cannot capture the embodied activity of philosophy without remainder, and is therefore limited and incomplete. In particular, we contend that (1) a static text is essentially alienated from our practices of philosophising, (2) words cannot unambiguously represent lives, and (3) practiced presentation enriches our understanding beyond words alone. After discussing some pedagogical implications, we conclude with a plea for a pluralistic approach that recognises lives as legitimate and valuable modes of philosophical presentation

Aesthetics · Embodied cognition · Epistemology · Plea · Political science · Sociology · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Law · Medicine · Philosophy · Pragmatism in Philosophy and Education · Wittgensteinian philosophy and applications

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