Philosophy and Public Affairs: A Philosopher’s Perspective on Government Committees of Inquiry

Abstract

I want to approach the general question of the relation be­ tween philosophy and public affairs, that is, the possible contribution of philosophy to practical politics, in a sideways and particular rather than a direct and abstract way. We live in an age in which people increasingly demand open government. We all of us require to be ruled, not by all-knowing philosopher-kings, but by persons who, no bet­ ter than ourselves, are entrusted for the time being with the task of inching us along towards a better society, and we es­ sentially need to know who they are, so that we can give them the benefit of our views. The ideal of society towards which we are supposed to be moving must not be the mere partisan whim of a particular government, designed to suit their book and keep them in power. It must be an ideal shared by the consensus of society. How is a government to ensure that it satisfies this demand, or at least seems to do so? It is, after all, a very proper demand from a society which attempts to educate people, within which indeed education is an absolute right, and which has universal