Why write philosophy on medium?
I recently came upon an article by Douglas Giles, PhD on why he, someone with academic training, writes on medium. It is an excellent piece, with which I found myself in deep sympathy. I warmly recommend it, if you’ve made it to this page, or read what it contains from time to time.
Giles tells us that he is a trained philosophy academic. He has published in academic journals. He has spoken at academic conferences. Nevertheless, he writes:
here’s the thing. Even the lowest-read article that I publish on Medium is read by more people than articles published in academic journals. Also, unlike academic journals, Medium leads to conversations …
If the purpose of writing is to reach people, and start discussions, that would be enough. Today’s universities for instance talk about ‘impact’ or ‘engagement’, so: tick.
Giles’ article also observes that nevertheless, the academy, today as perhaps always, isn’t primarily about starting conversations with a wide reading public, who might be interested in what philosophical ideas can do for them, outside of building a professional career.
Giles comments:
my readers on Medium give me the sense that when they think about philosophical ideas, they are thinking in terms of real life and how to make society a better place. Sadly, I…