In every cry of every Man,
In every Infants cry of fear,
In every voice: in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear (Blake, 1794: lines 5-8)
[P]hilosophy recovers itself when it ceases to be a device for dealing with the problems of philosophers and becomes a method, cultivated by philosophers, for dealing with the problems of [humanity]. (Dewey, 1917)
In “Popular Philosophy, ‘Populist Philosophy,’ Mind-Manacled Philosophy, and Real Philosophy,” Robert Hanna critically analyzes contemporary discussions surrounding two types of philosophy—i.e., popular philosophy and populist philosophy. Hanna first introduces the debate by noting Timothy Williamson’s critique of populist philosophy as an arrogant rival to academic philosophy that rejects genuine expertise and repeats elementary mistakes. Hanna then mentions Massimo Pigliucci’s defense of non-populist popular philosophy as a legitimate form of practical philosophy, distinguishing it from theoretical philosophy. Hanna ultimately rejects both Williamson’s and Pigliucci’s positions, labeling them as mind-manacled philosophy—a state of compliance with professional norms, scientism, or trivial philosophical pursuits. Instead, Hanna proposes real philosophy, which he defines as authentic, synoptic reflection on the human condition that integrates scientific knowledge with aesthetic, ethical, and practical insights.
REFERENCES
(Blake, 1794). Blake, W. “London.” In W. Blake, Songs of Experience. Available online at URL = <https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43673/london-56d222777e969>.
(Dewey, 1917). Dewey, J. “The Need for A Recovery of Philosophy.” In J. Dewey (ed.), Creative Intelligence: Essays in the Pragmatic Attitude. New York: Holt. Pp. 3-69
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