Engaged Philosophy interviewed 2021 UW Ph.D. recipient Paul Tubig about his work in public philosophy including teaching philosophy to incarcerated students and how that has impacted his research and teaching methods. Additionally, he addresses ways philosophy departments can encourage increased public philosophy engagement with their students and faculty. Tubig is currently assistant professor of philosophy at Georgia Southern University.
What motivates you to do this work?
I am motivated to do this work for several reasons. For one, I am committed to making philosophy more open, welcoming, and accessible to everyone, especially historically marginalized communities. I consider philosophy to be a deeply meaningful and worthwhile enterprise, given its emancipatory and transformative potential. Yet it is troubling to think that the goods of philosophy are limited to traditional college settings and accessible only to those with the privilege to attend their classes. I am sensitive to the exclusionary norms that have historically shaped philosophy, both in terms of the canon and who gets to sit at the table and participate in its discourses. I want to challenge these norms. It will not only improve the discourse of philosophy by including a broader range of perspectives and voices, but also it would make the benefits of philosophy more available to a broader range of publics, not only people who are socially privileged.
Read the complete interview with Dr. Paul Tubig here: Engaged Philosophy – Civic Engagment in Philosophy Classes: Interview with Paul Tubig