Living Philosophy Project

I. Mission Statement

In the continuing spirit of the Sisters of Mercy, The Living Philosophy Project is built on the idea that philosophy, as an academic discipline, arises from and ultimately belongs to the life-world of every human being, that philosophy, by its very nature, does not stand above and apart from human affairs, but rather, in the words of George Dennison, wishes us to draw near and “to empower us to think and do for ourselves.” “Living philosophy” is philosophy that manifests itself within cultural expressions of all kinds: history, art, religion, science, politics, music, law, education and so on. As a practice it is a way of doing philosophy that acknowledges the continuity between emotional life and intellectual life and that recalls that the original purpose of philosophy is to help us to become better human beings. To this end, the Living Philosophy Project at Misericordia University sponsors and promotes student/faculty research, symposia, conferences and the dissemination of scholarly work in a wide range of fields involving philosophical reflection. The Project’s goal is to help students, faculty members, professional philosophers and members of the community to develop their own philosophical clarity and to bring that clarity to bear on the issues that concern them. In pursuing this goal, the Project hopes to bring academic philosophy and public life closer together.

II. Overview

Administrative and Mission Structure:

The Living Philosophy Project (hereafter referred to simply as “the Project”) will have two directors, one from within the Department of Philosophy and one from outside the Department. The Project will also have a steering committee composed of invited members of the faculty, students and staff. The mission of the Project is three fold:

Education

This aspect of the Project will focus on philosophy majors and minors and students in other programs who have an interest in philosophy. The emphasis here will be student/faculty collaborative research in living philosophy. This will take many forms, such as:

· Students working on papers that involve the application of philosophical theory may present their work in Project sponsored colloquia, thus gaining valuable experience in public speaking. Students may assist faculty who are researching issues in living philosophy, or coauthor papers and presentations with faculty members.

· The Project plans to develop an undergraduate online journal of living philosophy in which students can, with the help of their professors, polish their own work for publication.

· The Project will sponsor student events, such as debates, films, or student radio talk shows on topics involving philosophy in application.

 

Scholarship

This aspect of the Project will focus on organizing and hosting professional academic conferences and guest presentations in living philosophy and acquiring outside grant funding for faculty and student research.

· The Project plans to establish an annual conference on Philosophy, Culture and Social Policy. This conference will include an undergraduate panel so that students from Misericordia and other regional institutions can participate. Proceedings from this conference will be published in an online, peer reviewed journal.

· The Project will seek outside funding for faculty and students in the form of grants for travel to libraries and conferences, to meet with scholars at other institutions and to study abroad.

 

Public Life and Discourse

Philosophers have always felt a natural imperative to make philosophy a public activity as well as an academic one and so bring positive change to society. This aspect of the Project will focus on faculty and student service activities for the university community and the surrounding community in the following ways:

· Organize service learning activities for Philosophy majors and minors, such as introducing philosophy to pre-college students in an on-campus environment through its application to real life situations and problems.

· Facilitate philosophy student involvement in the work of non-profit organizations and the creation of social policy.

· Facilitate the development of service learning courses in philosophy.

 

III. Funding

Since the Living Philosophy Project is internal to the College of Arts and Sciences, it will initially draw its funding from the Departments within that college. The Project will also seek outside grants for specific projects.