Political philosophy between horizontal and verticality

This essay reflects on the exercise of political philosophy in order to shed light on its relationship to issues of public concern. I will discuss the appropriate position from which we may examine “the city” in order to evaluate its institutions and practices. In approaching my subject, I will refer to the proposals of both contemporary and ancient Athenian philosophers. My inquiry is based on an understanding of political philosophy as an ongoing “inherited discourse” (Wolin, 1969) that began with the asking of and proposing of answers to crucial questions on public and private matters (Grant, 2002). The Athenian scene in particular symbolizes a privileged relationship between philosophy and the polis as the place of public discourse and action: Socrates moves among citizens and raises questions on the appropriateness and legitimacy of their shared knowledge and habits. Some of the more recent contributers to political philosophy I cite below also embrace this idea even as they interpret it in different ways.