Katy Fulfer

Philosophy in the world

At Home with Arendt

Humanity Wall
Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

Exploring questions of home and belonging in conversation with the philosophy of Hannah Arendt

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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...]

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A state of unwelcome

It was chilling to read about Texas Governor Greg Abbott's statement that Texas would not resettle refugees in 2020. In recent years, Texas has been the state to resettle the largest number of refugees. Echoes of Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism The Governor's decision reminds me of Hannah Arendt's discussion of the decline of the nation-state in the Origins of Totalitarianism. The phenomenon of statelessness tested the limits of national sovereignty. Some states stripped their unwanted … [Read more...]