Can we teach philosophically about unspeakable human suffering?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
This paper is a reflective response to Tena Thau’s suggestion – in her 2024 piece ‘Moral Philosophy as War Propaganda’ – that philosophy has little to teach about the war in Gaza (and, by extension, similar cases of widespread, horrific human suffering). I first reconstruct one of the arguments that Thau makes in her piece. I then show that her criticisms about philosophy are true for a particular way of doing philosophy, and I attempt to uncover the underlying philosophical anthropology that makes these moral philosophical approaches unsuitable for addressing grave human suffering. Finally, I propose that a critical phenomenological approach that examines widespread suffering through an anti-/post-/decolonial lens may be more suitable when teaching philosophically about human suffering.
Recommended Citation
Azada-Palacios, R. A. (2025). Can we teach philosophically about unspeakable human suffering? Ethics and Education, 20(1), 15–30. https://archium.ateneo.edu/
