The Public Philosophy Journal is an online platform for open discussion about topics of broad public concern. We bring to it a deep belief that a shared agreement to seek the truth, a willingness to disagree respectfully, and a desire to support one another are fundamental not only to a thriving academy, but also to a flourishing democracy.
We invite you to participate in a public discussion of a topic that has gained in urgency over the course of the 2016 campaign for the US Presidency: Collegiality and Public Life.
If we attend to its Latin roots, to be collegial means to choose together with one another. Understood in this way, collegiality is the very heart of a democracy. It animates our attempts to choose together leaders who will advance the common good and empower us, diverse as we are, to pursue happiness. And yet, over the course of this Presidential election cycle, we have experienced a degradation of collegiality to a degree rarely witnessed in the history of the Republic.
We invite you, in this context, to help us put collegiality into practice in a public conversation on the topic: Collegiality and Public Life.
Is it possible to cultivate habits of collegiality in broad public deliberation? How and why do various media outlets collude in impoverishing political discourse? Where are the models for enriching public, political conversations? Does a lack of collegiality dampen public opinion, or help draw more people with divergent perspectives and experiences into the conversation? Is collegiality possible without strict policies that turn quickly into policing?
Submission guidelines
We encourage submissions on Collegiality and Public Life, through December 1st, 2016. Original writings should be between 300 – 1000 words. Submission of links to already published works are strongly encouraged (see below)
Sharing your thoughts
If you have already shared thoughts on these topics elsewhere on the web, please notify us of that by curating links to this content to the PPJ Current. Go to: http://community.publicphilosophyjournal.org/current/ and then select ‘URL’ from the ‘Submit’ menu.
Your are also invited to submit your thoughts directly by first, signing up with the PPJ, and then selecting ‘Original Content’ from the ‘Submit’ menu To sign up, Go to:
http://community.publicphilosophyjournal.org/register/
Links can be curated at any time. Original content should be submitted prior to Dec. 1, 2016.
Want to share someone else’s post?
If you are aware of valuable discussions of this topic that are freely accessible to the public, please notify us of them by curating links to this content to the PPJ Current. Go to: http://community.publicphilosophyjournal.org/current/ and then select ‘URL’ from the ‘Submit’ menu.
Join the dialogue!
We encourage all participants to join the discussion. This can be done by commenting on others’ posts, recommending links to relevant pieces, sharing posts from the PPJ Current on your social networks, and continuing to elaborate and share your own thoughts on the topic in public spaces.