Educating Philosophers: A Handbook of Best Practice

The vast majority of philosophers are academics earning their living primarily as teachers. Yet only a tiny fraction are actively interested in philosophy of education or take notice of such jour- nals as Teaching Philosophy. Currently philosophy is under acute pressure from the political econ- omy of higher education and institutions to justify its continued existence as an academic disci- pline. Concurrently, the quantity of philosophical work published has expanded to the point where proper and effective operation of the peer review process is increasingly difficult. These trends challenge philosophers to demonstrate the value of their professional activity and in par- ticular to show that academic discussion is not merely an end in itself. Responding to this chal- lenge requires fresh or at least refreshed and convincing answers to the question, What are the educational responsibilities of philosophers?
These educational responsibilities are wide ranging; classroom teaching and research supervision are central, but not exhaustive. Also included are education in professional ethics and integrity; mentoring new faculty members; training for the full range of professional responsibilities within the department, institution and wider profession, including review of applications for tenure or promotion, publication submissions and funding applications; and public engagement. Just as education enables children to become competent and responsible adults, it enables culture to continue beyond the current generation. More specifically there are educational relations between social institutions and their practitioners ranging from societies and their citizens to particular professions and professionals such as philosophers. In each educational relation vital issues arise concerning the training and induction of newly qualified members, maintenance of sufficient competence and integrity, fostering worthwhile expertise and innovation, and the assessment, revision or improvement of procedures, techniques or standards. These issues raise a wide range of questions which can be creatively addressed which this handbook seeks to address.