The 'efficiency' of philosophy in social and political science: a survey of the application of philosophical research

Abstract

This article attempts to answer the question: what kind of 'efficiency' contemporary studies in the humanities and, in particular, in philosophy may have. The author starts with an analysis of scholarly publications which, in order to meet certain social and political challenges, employ philosophical instruments, and then assesses the limits within which such usage is still possible. The publications brought here under examination are selected from a number of philosophical and interdisciplinary learned journals focused on the problems of domestic and foreign policy of several nations, insofar as it is related to institutional policy. Among the published works chosen for the survey, there are some which appeared in the Journal of Scottish Philosophy; these are indicative of the importance national traditions in thinking can have even in the age of global 'intellectual networks'. Discussion of the efficiency of philosophy will benefit from introducing the notion of 'territorial marketing': such a representation of the national history of ideas will be relevant not only on an intra-disciplinary level, but can also be regarded as part of the strategy to promote an attractive image of the respective country. Another type of similar strategy is exemplified by Carlin Romano's book America the Philosophical. The interdependence between the intellectual significance of advances in the humanities and the position occupied by a country in the political arena (e.g. such journals as East European Politics & Societies) is also worth consideration. It is in the context of this problem that one has to investigate the principles of objective and politically unbiased assessment of the role of social studies and the works of art. Potential efficiency of philosophy in determining the scope and methods of educational policy and in the intercultural communication can be studied, respectively, on the example of such journals as Journal of Philosophy of Education (the use of philosophical apparatus in discussing the problem of teaching patriotism at school) and Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture.