Philosophy is not a ‘blood sport’: education as a pathway towards developing a more generous, communal mode of philosophizing

Norman Swartz’s 1994 essay, ‘Is Philosophy a Blood Sport?’, provides the starting point for this article which explores ways—especially educational ones—of developing a more communal and generous mode of philosophizing. The article is motivated by a desire to prevent the potential corruption of philosophy by tempering the influence of competition and combativeness that threaten to turn it into a ‘blood sport’. To this end, I hope to develop pathways by which to return philosophy to a certain conception of its proper objective: namely, the pursuit of greater world-understanding and wisdom. This more generous, more communal approach nevertheless does not shy away from disagreement, critique, and challenging conversations. By encouraging and facilitating insightful dialogue, it allows for the realization of philosophical potential. Through an exploration of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, Rosalyn Diprose, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the article demonstrates the creative potential of corporeality, affect, and engagements with other people in the philosophical transformation of meaning. To do this, I examine Diprose’s notion of ‘corporeal generosity’ and its relationship with Nietzsche’s notions of ‘writing in blood’, friendship, and perspectival epistemology, as well as with Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological views of communication. Importantly, the article shows how this more communal, generous mode of philosophizing can be fostered within learners early on in their education so that future generations can contribute to reanimating the culture of academic philosophy.