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published on March 5, 2020
Rika Tsuji
https://doi.org/10.5840/p42020349
Revisiting the Community of Philosophical Inquiry through the Lens of Arendt and Butler
The purpose of this paper is to reimagine philosophy programs in schools, such as philosophy for/with children, through a critical analysis of the work of Hannah Arendt and Judith Butler, especially in light of their understanding of the space of appearance and plurality. ?Drawing on a critical reading of Hannah Arendt along with Butler¡¯s critique, I argue that during the enactment of the community of philosophical inquiry (CPI), the classroom becomes a space of appearance through the collective willingness of those present to be exposed to and recognize unknown others and matters in the condition of plurality. I begin by summarizing Arendt¡¯s notions of the space of appearance and plurality. Next, I introduce Butler¡¯s critique and reading of Arendt to focus on sociopolitical aspects of the space of appearance. Finally, I synthesize both Arendt¡¯s and Butler¡¯s analyses to show the phenomenological and sociopolitical aspects of the CPI.