Is public philosophy just academic outreach in a new outfit, or is it something else entirely? In this episode, we’re joined by Kate Manne (Cornell University) to  ask what happens when philosophers leave their usual habitats and try to meet people where they actually live. We talk about the push to be legible outside the profession, the risk of being dismissed inside it, and the slippery politics of trying to do both at once. What’s the value of work that doesn’t look like philosophy but still feels like it? And who gets to decide when philosophy has gone too far—or not far enough?

Books Referenced:

• Kate Manne, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny (2017)

• Kate Manne, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women (2020)

• Kate Manne, Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia (2025)

Issues and Topics Discussed:

• The American Philosophical Association’s definitions and defenses of public philosophy

• Public scholarship in the tenure and promotion process

• The role of social media platforms in philosophical engagement

• The risks of academic gatekeeping in public-facing work

• Legibility, credibility, and audience reception across different publics

• Internal disciplinary resistance to applied or activist philosophy

• The tension between political urgency and academic slow work

• Ketel Marte heckling incident – recent coverage

• Another take on the Marte heckling and athlete speech