The philosophy of home

Published in Neos Kosmos Newspaper by Edward Spence in 19 May, 2011. Article examines the notion of 'home' from Plato to the present, especially with regard to the Greek diaspora. Socrates was perhaps one of the first to realize that home was a fundamental and important topic for a philosopher. For Socrates, it was literally a topic of life and death. For did not Socrates choose death as a lesser evil than exile? Although Socrates did choose death over exile, his notion of home is still more ambiguous and complex. As an academic philosopher Spence sees his wider role in society as that of a public commentator on matters of public significance. Using his philosophical knowledge and expertise Spence creates short media articles of about 800 -1000 words to analyse and evaluate complex social issues philosophically. He draws on both ancient and contemporary philosophy in order to situate those social issues in the wider historical context of western civilisation. It is important to do so in order to raise awareness of the continuity of thought that shapes and grounds our understanding of these contemporary social issues. The media articles that Spence publishes in newspapers and magazines are part of his public philosophy research output. It also includes the writing and performance of original philosophy plays in public venues as part of his Theatre of Philosophy project. Unlike academic journal papers the media articles are written in a rhetorical style designed for a public audience but without comprising the philosophical rationale.