2011/01/01 by Ben Hale · 1 citation
Health Professions · Social Sciences · Engineering · #Ethics in medical practice #Political Philosophy and Ethics #Social Science and Policy Research #Applied philosophy #Engineering ethics #Epistemology #Philosophy #Sociology #Engineering
paper · doi:10.5840/ijap201125219
openalex publication_date 2011/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/01/13
In this paper I argue that applied philosophers hoping to de- velop a stronger role in public formation can begin by aligning their methods with the tools employed in the I proceed first by characterizing the standard view of policymaking and education as instrumentally oriented toward the employment of specific tools. I then investigate pressures internal to philosophy that nudge work in applied philosophy toward the periphery of debates. I capture the dynam- ics of these pressures by framing them as the dilemma and the problem problem. Seeking a remedy, I turn to the interdisciplinarity of a unique approach to policymaking generally known as the policy sciences. Finally, I investigate the case of bioethics, an instance where philosophy has made decent headway with policymakers. From this I draw parallels to public policy. I suggest that because the sciences are essentially an alchemist's brew of academic fields, and because philosophy covers many of the foundational questions associated with these fields, it is only natural that applied philosophers should begin collaborations with other applied academics by adopting the strategies that have so successfully applied in other theoretical fields.