Philosophical questions pop up in society all the time – matters of ethics and values, beauty and knowledge, power and trust, and more. These questions, however, come tangled up with all sorts of other issues – legal, technical, economic, scientific, political, etc. The disciplinary model of philosophical research, which has reigned since the late-19th century, works like a distillery to purify some “properly philosophical content” from these tangles. This has distanced philosophers from real-world problems. The result is that even as our techno-scientific society raises ever more pressing and profound philosophical questions, philosophers are largely seen as irrelevant and out of touch.
Field philosophy is an attempt to bridge this gap – to do philosophy in the real-world in real-time with a diverse range of collaborators. The “field” can be just about anything: a laboratory, community meeting, government agency, ranch, company, social movement, etc. For example, I work with scientists, engineers, policymakers, and social stakeholders on problems that arise at the intersections of science, technology, and society. The important point is that the philosophical work – thinking through assumptions and questions toward insights and knowledge – is done with and for communities in the midst of their ongoing, problem-oriented work.
