“Once a Month, a Philosopher Uploads His Discipline to the World”

Jack Russell Weinstein, a professor of philosophy at the University of North Dakota, hosts a regular talk show about philosophy on the state’s public-radio network. Mr. Weinstein’s philosophy about philosophy—that it’s both an academic and an extra-academic set of activities—reflects a growing awareness among humanists that they need to move beyond the rhetoric of crisis to share what they do with the wider world. In an era of never enough money, especially for the humanities, going public can be both satisfying and a survival strategy, a way to demonstrate to college administrations and state legislatures that disciplines like philosophy are worth investing in.