Welcome!

Why do fringe philosophy?

Often, one’s first exposure to philosophy (generally, in a compulsory university class) is prohibitively obscure and dry. Beyond that, it gives the impression that philosophers are uninterested in thinking about the world we find ourselves in: one that contains strange, wondrous, and mystifying phenomena alongside the ordinary everyday.

Ventures in "public philosophy" have tried to solve this problem of bad first impressions, but are often geared toward a general audience. Introductory glosses on philosophical topics, while suitable for the curious hobbyist, often have a difficult time both 1) holding the attention of readers/listeners, and 2) doing justice to the nuances of the issues they discuss. Additionally, these resources tend to lose consumers who desire deeper engagement. 

With Philosophy on the Fringes, we attempt to bring both philosophers and curious laypeople into substantive philosophical dialogue by exploring non-traditional questions and topics, all while making recourse to the influential ideas of canonical thinkers. In this way, our listeners get exposure to standard issues in philosophy, and we show how these standard issues intersect with topics outside of academic philosophy’s traditional gambit. In turn, we also hope to pique the attention of academics by showing how the “fringe” topics we cover can enrich discussions of core issues in philosophy.