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| Vol. 18, No. 5 | Oct. 1, 1998 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 5 | Oct. 1, 1998 |
Philosophers are often pictured in small groups, huddled quietly discussing such esoteric subjects as the meaning of life or the existence of absolute right or wrong. But, in Boston earlier this year, more than a thousand of humankind's deepest thinkers-including members of the American Philosophical Association, based at UD-applied their expertise to problems of the "real world."
As the year 2000 approaches, "people are thinking philosophically," and philosophers increasingly are applying their problem-solving skills to real-world issues-from race relations to health care to family leave policies, said Eric Hoffman, philosophy, who serves as executive director of the APA.
The "real world" session during the Boston conference was coordinated by Phil Quinn, the John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and chairperson of the association's national board of officers.
Quinn noted "a striking contrast between the United States and some of the Western European countries" in terms of how the public views philosophy. In Europe, he said, "philosophers in particular, and academics more generally, are taken much more seriously as public figures."
In places such as Britain, France and Germany, "you constantly see philosophers on television shows and serving on government commissions," Quinn said.
He said the large size of the United States, compared to smaller countries with more compact networks of scholars, could be one reason why philosophers don't go into public service here. By comparison, in England, Oxford and Cambridge scholars often end up in government.
American philosophers' tendency to use obscure, technical jargon may be another reason for their isolation, he said.
Yet that all may be changing, said Quinn. He's noted an apparent "growth industry" in the discipline, with philosophy increasingly applied to things such as biomedical ethics, business ethics and computer ethics.
Demand has increased for such courses at the university level, and "students are very much interested in ethical problems" for career development, he said.
Quinn said the APA traces its history to the creation of two philosophical societies at the beginning of the 20th century, and their federation after World War I. Today, there are three divisions, the Eastern, Central and Pacific branches, each with its own officers and annual meetings, and all with national headquarters at UD.
Philosophy may sometimes be seen as irrelevant to modern life, and, in Quinn's words, "You can't, in a sound-bite culture, explain highly complex problems or ideas." But Quinn added, "A lot of us would like to see philosophers taking a larger part in public life."
-Phil Milford
