Response to Shelby, "Philosophical Jargon"

Is philosophical jargon a help or a hindrance to philosophical discussion?


This is a good question, and I think you addressed it well. You are right that philosophical terms (such as your example "utilitarian") can leave people out of the discussion. This reminds me of a really great passage from the article "Stupidity Deconstructed" by Joanna Kadi:

"As far as I can tell, postmodern theoreticians say nothing new, but their inaccessible language makes it appear as though they do. For example, they're fascinated with the notion that multiple realities exist in society, and they've written and theorized extensively about this.
Puh-lease. Everybody in my neighborhood, including the mechanics who had to sniff carbon monoxide in tiny, enclosed garages all say long, grasped that idea with no problem. We lived it. We had our reality, the bosses had theirs, and we understood them both. Theorists like W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about double consciousness-whereby African Americans understand their reality and white people's-at the turn of this century. But I've never seen postmodernists attribute these ideas to the people of color and/or working-class people who've lived and understood them for centuries. Instead, postmodernists steal these ideas and dress them up in language so inaccessible only a tiny, elite group can discuss them."

This is a really interesting point. Without knowing the language used in philosophy, one may still understand the concepts. Many people know what a utilitarian is, without actually knowing that term. When people use these terms and don't explain what they mean, they are excluding people from the conversation who might understand this concept really well and have some great insight into it. When teaching philosophy to children, I think before you introduce philosophical terminology to them, you should introduce the concepts and make sure they have a good understanding of them. For example, get the children thinking about utilitarianism without using that word. Ask them, "Should one innocent person go to jail if it means the rest of the society feels safe?" or a similar example. The children will explore the idea of choosing the action that harms fewest people, and whether that is fair or not. Once the children understand this concept, you can tell them that it is called utilitarianism. If you do it in reverse, by introducing a foreign word and then going on to explain what it is, children may be scared off by the word and not grasp the concept as well.

Question: How can philosophy for adults be made more accessible using language?