On some accounts, public philosophy is set the very ambitious goal of delivering societal benefits. On other accounts, it is met with skepticism due to the belief that it can be at most a form of entertainment or a way to popularize knowledge. In this paper, we make a proposal about what the benefits of public philosophy can realistically be. Although it is hard to prove that engagement with philosophy enhances well-being, creates better citizens, and successfully bridges science and practical concerns, doing philosophy can help individuals practice the intellectual virtues that underpin their epistemic agency, so it is not just a form of entertainment. With such practice, members of the public can better identify implicit assumptions in common ways of thinking, exercise intellectual curiosity and epistemic humility, and engage respectfully but critically with different perspectives. We offer three examples of public philosophy that are conducive to the practice of the skills that support epistemic agency.

The notion of epistemic injustice introduced by Miranda Fricker in 2007 raised interest in the harmful effects of prejudice within analytic philosophy and beyond. It inspired various projects linking ethics and epistemology. The notion, originally used to capture the epistemic disadvantage that people experience for their race or gender, has been applied to an increasing

In its most generic definition, discrimination is the disadvantageous differential treatment of the other who belongs to a salient group that has or is believed to have some particular features. An...

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

When agency is threatened by disempowering social interactions

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

Published in The American Journal of Bioethics (Vol. 26, No. 10, 2026)

This open access book features chapters from clinicians, psychologists, and philosophers to explore issues about epistemic justice in mental healthcare.

YouTube video by The Philosophy Garden

“Slow thinking”: philosophy as a discipline

Walking alongside someone in their time of darkness and holding hope

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

Philosophy for everyone. Click to read The Philosophy Garden, by Philosophy for everyone, a Substack publication. Launched 6 days ago.

The notion of epistemic injustice introduced by Miranda Fricker in 2007 raised interest in the harmful effects of prejudice within analytic philosophy and beyond. It inspired various projects linking ...

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

AbstractBackground and Objectives. Epistemic injustice, introduced by philosopher Miranda Fricker in 2007, refers to harm affecting individuals as knowers

When I was a postdoctoral researcher, I spent several years teaching at an interdisciplinary research institute in Vienna, Austria. There, my main course sought to train master’s students—mostly biolo...

In communities disproportionately affected by deprivation and respiratory ill health, the legacy of mining and heavy industry, smoking-related disease, air pollution and occupational exposures (dust, chemicals) is compounded by healthcare inequalities and the inverse care law, whereby resources are often least available in areas of greatest need. For millions of people living with chronic lung conditions, the resulting breathlessness limits everyday life, undermining physical, psychological, social, financial and spiritual wellbeing.

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

Epistemic invalidation refers to repeated interpersonal experiences in which an individual their perceptions, emotions, interpretations, or memories are tr

Nielsen et al. (2025) have recently argued that the study of epistemic injustice in healthcare is subject to issues that, left unaddressed, threaten the ongoing research programme. One of their centra...

A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.

YouTube video by The Philosophy Garden