Katy Fulfer

Philosophy in the world

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To obey or not to obey? The logic of social distancing

Arendt often quoted Shakespeare, and paraphrasing Hamlet – one of Western culture’s greatest procrastinators - is apropos for my sense of ambiguity right now as to whether to obey…or not to? In a previous post, Katy noted how the Covid 19 crisis represented a time for courage.  Across the world, we have seen courageous, and irresponsible, actions from leaders and others.  But it is not so much courage that I have been thinking about. Rather, it is obedience. In her essay “Personal … [Read more...]

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Social distancing, loneliness, and friendship

I've been listening to Canadaland's isolation interviews. When The Globe and Mail's Robyn Doolittle was asked about the strangest thing that she had done that day, she replied that it was doing her normal job as an investigative journalist, working from home (where her partner and young children also are) on stories that have nothing to do with COVID-19. Like many, I feel constantly distracted by COVID-19 Dolittle's comment resonates with me. I feel odd working on a series entitled "At Home … [Read more...]

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Peer support during political crises

Katy and I presented at a conference this weekend on our work on Arendt and the family. But we added a new twist to our deliberations, that of the peer group. According to Arendt, the peer group not only provides friendship but also political support.  Our talk on the peer group was based on Arendt's essay on Rosa Luxemburg, which appears in Men and Dark Times. Luxemburg is one of only two woman who make an appearance in this book. The other woman profiled is the novelist, Isak Dinerson. … [Read more...]

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First thoughts on public scholarship

Philosophers want their work to matter. At least I do. This hope partially explains my website tagline, "philosophy in the world." In my first blog post, I wrote, "I seek for my philosophical work to be embedded in the world and in service to maintaining it as a space for speech and action." Philosophy can be helpful for public matters. Philosophers often clarify ambiguous or muddled concepts or phenomena. Or, alternatively, philosophers point out that some concepts are treated too … [Read more...]

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From stories to policies

Can storytelling help us respond to the opioid epidemic? Since 2016, more than 9,000 Canadians have died from opioids. Countless others have experienced health complications and adverse side effects, including a reversed overdose. The Canadian opioid epidemic shows little sign of slowing. It’s time we start exploring new approaches to the problem. A 90-day consultation In Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada works with the federal government to create policies and institutions to support … [Read more...]