Philosophy and Community shares updates and interviews about people and initiatives that promote the engagement of philosophy with the community. It gives a fresh insight into the role that philosophers play in society, in different parts of the world.
By Maria Pinho
Junho 2025 – Uma conversa com Hugo Miguel Santos, doutorando no Programa em Teoria da Literatura da Universidade de Lisboa e poeta, sobre a velha relação entre poesia e Filosofia. Afinal, existirá de facto, nela, dicotomia alguma?
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By Aleksandar Anđelović
March 2025 – I talked to Leonora Neville about the East Roman Empire – its history, its people, and the way we study it today. We discussed why she prefers ‘East Rome’ over ‘Byzantium,’ what medieval Romans thought about their own past, and how gender shaped their society. Find out why these questions matter and how they change the way we see the medieval world!
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By Sarah Virgi
February 2025 – “Why are we doing so little to save the planet?” This is one of the greatest questions of our era, and yet, one that only a few people dare to tackle. Philosopher Christoph Henning, our guest interviewee this month, argues that the answer lies in the structures of capitalism, which create systemic constraints that push us toward ecological collapse. Drawing on Marxist theory, he sees capitalism as a system that not only exploits nature but also limits our ability to change course. “It seems totally irrational,” he says, “but this system has a huge power over us.”
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By Maria Pinho
A atualidade atravessa questões humanitárias que, longe de serem novas ou particularmente exóticas, necessitam de uma urgente reflexão, verificando-se o diálogo inter-religioso um importante e basilar escopo do debate. Faustino Teixeira, um dos grandes especialistas e investigadores em teologia, religião e literatura do Brasil, medita nesta entrevista sobre o papel das instituições no estabelecimento e preservação da paz religiosa, bem como revela que caminhos – teológicos ou não – são essenciais percorrer para esse fim.
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By Mário João Correia
This summer, the Philosophy and Community section of IPM Monthly presents an interview with Professor María Martín Gómez. In this interview, she discusses her successful book published in 2021, Diary of a Pregnant Philosopher (Diario de una filósofa embarazada). This book explores the metaphysical concerns of a philosopher who, while pregnant, analyzes and problematizes the relationship between the mother’s state, the gestation of the child, and the fetus itself, among other significant issues.
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By Aleksandar Anđelović
May 2024 – Among many student initiatives between the University of Vienna and Central European University in the area of philosophy, art history, philology, and history in general, I met Ivan, an art historian originally from Serbia. His interests in architecture, art, and archaeology on one hand and mine in philosophy, philology, and theology on the other sparked numerous discussions in a truly interdisciplinary manner. For this occasion, in vernal Vienna, I am interested in Ivan’s view on philosophy, especially considering his research regarding Neoplatonists, from the perspective of history of art and archaeology and how philosophy is intertwined with and expressed in art and material aesthetics.
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By Maria Pinho
April 2024 – In this interview, we engage with Emanuel Nogueira from the University of Coimbra, delving into his research and his doctoral project. Our discussion spans a wide array of subjects, including Aristotelian ethics, the Conimbricenses, and the Jesuit School of Coimbra. Additionally, we explore the significance of teaching (and learning) Latin in contemporary contexts and even touch upon the uniquely Portuguese cultural phenomenon of… fado.
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By Aleksandar Anđelović
March 2024 – While hiking in Austrian hills with a student hiking club, I met Vukoman, a theologian and philosopher from Belgrade currently studying in Vienna. Surrounded by greenery, snowy mountains, and vineyards around Vienna, we discussed our research interests – Leibniz, Byzantium, Christianity, Platonism – and wider implications of pursuing philosophical research nowadays. In this interview, Vukoman will tell us more about his current research, main interests, as well as his view on the role of philosophy in the community in general.
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By Maria Luís Pinho
January 2024 – In the January issue, IPM presents an interview with Camila Lobo, PhD student and researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She is currently developing an FCT-funded doctoral project on care and social standpoints. Her work combines different areas of interest: from social epistemology to feminist theory, philosophy of language and Wittgenstein’s philosophy.
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By Sarah Virgi
December 2023 – In this issue of Philosophy and Community we talked to Hermílio Santos, a sociologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, who films some outstanding documentaries. Hermilo’s documentaries are inspired by the methodology of interpretative sociology in the works of Alfred Schütz, rooted also in philosophy – you can watch the teaser of a documentary by Hermilio on Schütz here. We have talked about using documentaries as a tool for dissemination of science, and about Hermílio’s specific approach towards integrating them into sociological research.
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By Eduarda Machado
October 2023 – IPM Monthly has invited Dr Julia Schneider to an interview. Dr. Schneider showed the most sympathy for collaborating with IPM. With a bright spirit and open smile, she talked about her work’s challenges and her contribution to research in medieval studies. She also talked about the challenges of the exponential evolution of technology and artificial intelligence for the profession, her career path, and even her musical tastes. She is the Scholarly Resources and Assessment Librarian for Arts, Humanities, and Architecture and Subject Librarian for Medieval Studies and subject liaison for German Language and Literature at the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame.; has a Ph.D. in Medieval Studies with a concentration in medieval liturgy, theology, and intellectual history with a focus on Albertus Magnus’ Commentary on the Mass.
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By Sarah Virgi
September 2023 – Amidst a chilly and rainy evening during a short visit to Utrecht, my friends and I sought refuge in a cozy café, yearning for the comfort of a steaming cup of cocoa. To our delightful astonishment, fate had a different plan in mind. On that evening, the very establishment we just entered happened to be hosting a Philosophy Café organized by a group of students at Utrecht University. What were the odds? The evening’s agenda promised an informal tête-à-tête with Dr. Elizabeth Cripps, centered around her recently published book Parenting on Earth.
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By Sarah Virgi
Summer 2023 – In a world dominated by rapidly evolving social dynamics and a quest for justice, one topic has sparked intense debate and polarized opinions: cancel culture. To shed light on this contentious issue, we sat down with Pierre Vesperini, esteemed author of the thought-provoking book, Que faire du passé ? Réflexions sur la cancel culture (“What to Do with the Past? Reflections on Cancel Culture“).
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By Sarah Virgi
March 2023 – Is it philosophers’ moral duty to share the results of their research and their ideas with the public or to restrict their access to university seminar rooms and paywalled scientific journals? The medieval philosopher al-Fārābī (d. c. 950) once wrote that “if the philosopher who has acquired the theoretical virtues does not have the capacity to transmit them to everyone else according to their [own] possibilities, then, what he has acquired is in vain” (On the Attainment of Happiness, §56). Averroes (Ibn Rushd, d. 1198), on the other hand, was of the opinion that philosophy should not be divulged among the masses but restricted to the philosophical elite. The relevance of this question and the different approaches that have been proposed to answer it become more and more relevant in the present day as public philosophy rises and is broadcasted through an increasing variety of media, like Youtube, Spotify, online courses, and television. In this month’s interview, we explore some of the issues of public philosophy with Dr. Steven S. Gouveia, a philosopher who has put considerable effort into calling the public’s attention to contemporary philosophical and ethical issues. Not only has he directed and hosted a documentary on the topic of artificial intelligence, but also organizes online courses on various philosophical subjects, some of which involved notable philosopher-guests, such as Peter Singer and Noam Chomsky.
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By Sarah Virgi
February 2023 – “An unexamined life is not worth living,” said Socrates at the trial upon which he was condemned to death. Can philosophers add value to your life by helping you reflect upon and critically evaluate your everyday problems, moral dilemmas, and issues you would like to explore? Can you be coached in leading a philosophical life? If yes, how? Christophe Porot, doctoral student in philosophy and philosopher coach, speaks here of his own experience of coaching as a process of what he calls “uncorking,” which he describes as a way of “enabling all of someone’s deepest thoughts to flow from the core of their thinking process out into the open,” and “having [their] philosophy elaborated on through every angle before a lightly Socratic questioning period that attempts to explore the strongest version of one’s philosophy.” Philosophy coaching is, thus, very different from teaching: it does not aim at teaching people what to do and think but at “unlocking their ability to think freely.” Porot believes that this process can contribute to happiness in so far as it cultivates freedom and responsibility of thought. In this interview, he tells us about his sources of inspiration, coaching methods, and the positive impact that this activity has brought to his work and research.
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By Pawel Trzciakowski
January 2023 – IPM Monthly sits down to talk with Daniel Wardziński from The Saint Nicholas Foundation — a Warsaw-based charity established in 2002 by Joanna Paciorek and a philosopher Dariusz Karłowicz. Its initial mission was to organize support programs for the education of children living in poverty, orphans, and of other difficult backgrounds. Gradually, the foundation’s activities expanded and today it also publishes the Teologia Polityczna journal, with a focus on the intersection of political and religious studies. Helping Ukraine, which the foundation has been carrying out since 2019, is the subject of this month’s interview.
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By Sarah Virgi
December 2022 – The history of medieval philosophy in Christian Europe often portrays the philosophical scene in the Middle Ages as being dominated by the intellectual debates that took place within the universities. By virtue of this institutional context, this history accounts mainly for the scholastic tradition and, consequently, for a tradition in which only men were allowed to participate. However, this was not the only philosophical scene in Europe during this period. As Christina Van Dyke shows in her new book, about which we will be speaking in this interview, there were other intellectual circles in the Christian Middle Ages where women played a crucial role and where they could make themselves be heard: mysticism and contemplativism.
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Por Nicola Polloni
November 2022 – How may the study of Second Scholasticism be connected to societal problems such as cultural identity in postcolonial settings? And how can a young researcher contribute to the rediscovery of the cultural treasures of his land when our societies are always projected towards the future, so often forgetting about their past? In this interview with Abel Aravena Zamora, we explore these and other issues that characterise the lives of many young researchers in medieval philosophy worldwide. More specifically, we shall discuss his daring idea of making “capsules” to foster his outreach strategy and maximise the impact of his research on society.
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By Sarah Virgi
October 2022 – Nowadays, academic articles have become the stage where the development of philosophical research takes place. But publishing is a serious business. It requires a long (and often painful) process of research, redaction, review, and corrections until the articles attain their final printed form and can be shared with others. “But then who reads them?”, asks Maria João Neves, “perhaps only one or two doctoral students, who are interested in those very specific topics.” They rarely reach the larger public, even though knowledge is lacking outside of academia. This is one of the reasons that led Maria João Neves, Doctor in Philosophy and specialist in the work of María Zambrano, to recover the living power of philosophy and bring it out to the public. In her own words, philosophy is not there to “overfeed points of view” (engordar os pontos de vista). In that case, “it is preferable to cumulate less knowledge.”
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By Sarah Virgi
September 2022 – Speaking about research topics and sharing them with a wider audience is not an easy task for an academic, perhaps in any field of research. Professor Peter Adamson, the host of the podcast “History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps” is definitely an exception to this rule. Since 2010, he has taken listeners from all over the world through the history of philosophy. Today, his podcast counts more than five hundred episodes in total, and several of its series are also available in print. His talent for story-telling and entertaining anecdotes can make any complex philosophical topic or author sound easy while at the same time preserving impeccable accuracy and in-depth analysis. In this interview, Adamson tells us about how this project emerged and about his passion for sharing his ideas with the public. In addition, we also learn about his concept of a “history of philosophy without any gaps” and how it reflects his own approach to the history of philosophy.
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By Sarah Virgi
July 2022 – How much do high school students in Portugal know about Medieval Arabic Philosophy? This question is especially pertinent given that what is today Portugal was once under the political rule and cultural influence of Islamic dynasties. Together with Spain, it constituted the most western region of the Muslim dominion and one of the most important intellectual centers in the Middle Ages: al-Andalus. Thus, one would expect that there would be a greater awareness of the medieval Arabic philosophical tradition in this context than in other parts of the European continent. However, this is not quite the case. In fact, this intellectual heritage is often neglected outside the academic milieu.
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By Sarah Virgi
June 2022 – Does children’s ability to wonder – for this is how Aristotle describes the beginning of philosophy – make them more apt to philosophize? Do they also ask philosophical questions? This curiosity concerning the limits of children’s capacities to think and engage with profound questions drives many philosophers nowadays to practice philosophical dialogue with children and adolescents. But this is not their only motivation. Doing philosophy with children is also an educational and social project, as we learn from Sara Gomel, a young philosopher who is currently part of an associative initiative that promotes regular sessions of philosophy with children in Italian schools. More than mere instruction about philosophical topics, doing philosophy with children aims to foster discussions about what matters most to them. It stimulates rational discourse and reflection by helping them formulate their thoughts and listen to their classmates’ concerns and convictions – which are not always in perfect consonance with their own. In addition, doing philosophy also empowers children in underprivileged contexts by encouraging them to speak their minds and giving them the feeling that their voice is heard. More importantly, it provides them with the tools to think differently and envision how they can make a change.
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By Sarah Virgi
May 2022 – To what extent can philosophy contribute to the development of a democratic discourse and of an intercultural and interreligious society? In a time when nationalism and religious radicalism are gaining new terrain and imposing new limits to rational dialogue and tolerance among different communities, in Europe and beyond, it becomes urgent to inquire about the role that philosophers can play in dealing with this social and political dynamic. Today, we propose to explore the example of the Mozambican philosopher Severino Elias Ngoenha, who found a concrete way to respond to the problem of religious and cultural divergence in Mozambique. Alongside his academic work and teaching, for the past few years, Ngoenha has been leading the organisation of seminars and workshops of Intercultural and Interreligious Philosophy for the general public in different regions of Mozambique. Ngoenha titles these encounters “Seminars of Intercultural Philosophy: The Challenges of Radicalization” (Seminários de Filosofia Intercultural: Os Desafios da Radicalização). The country has increasingly been hit by religious radicalism, especially since the recent occupation of the north by the Islamic State. However, as Ngoenha explains, there are also intrinsic cultural and religious divisions in what he describes as an extraordinarily diverse population. With these philosophical workshops, Ngoenha aims to bring these different communities together in a dialogue of tolerance and respect for one another and, thus, to enable the emergence of a truly intercultural and democratic discourse in Mozambique.
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