Dimensions of the sumphilosopheîn. The Community of Philosophical Inquiry as a Palimpsest

Speaking of the notion of the community of philosophical inquiry (CPI), Splitter and Sharp (1995: 18) warned that ‘[t]here is always the danger that a phrase or concept which forms the corner-stone of an emerging pedagogy will degenerate into a mere slogan’. However, they soon added that it had been confirmed by teachers’ and students’ experience ‘that [the CPI] really is far from trivial’ (Splitter and Sharp 1995: 18). The present text provides some philosophical-educational perspectives that can contribute to elucidating the non-triviality of the CPI as a pedagogical device. In particular, it will be shown how the CPI, on the one hand, rejuvenates a neglected and to some extent hidden strand of the Western philosophical tradition, and, on the other, operationalizes that tradition within the classroom by recasting it in a pragmatist mode.