For more than two years, AGORA has been presenting a short philosophical text every week. We now have almost 100 texts in Agora’s section “Philosophers about Life” and “Philosophical Topics.”

For somebody with a university background, the choice of texts might appear strange. There are very few texts by “central” philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, or Hume. In contrast, there are many texts by “less important” philosophers such as Emerson, Marcel, or Bergson. Some of the texts are by almost-forgotten philosophers such as Ficino, Foss, or Stirner.

Furthermore, Agora deals very little with the issues that are central in academic philosophy – how we know that the world exists, the nature of perception, the meaning of words, the relation of the mind to the body. And conversely, many of the issues that receive much attention on Agora – the nature of love or friendship, the other person, inner depth – are quite peripheral in academic philosophy.

Evidently, Agora has a different map of the history of philosophy. What is central in academic philosophy is often peripheral on Agora, and vice versa. 

This is not a coincidence. Agora focuses on everyday life. We, philosophical practitioners, find meaning in ideas that relate to ordinary worries, to our everyday experiences, to our self-understanding. For us, Kant’s transcendental deduction or Descartes’ proof of the existence of the material world are not very relevant. We are interested in philosophical insights that touch us, inspire us, enrich our everyday life.

We do not deny, of course, that these theories have value. We do not reject mainstream philosophy. Mainstream philosophy may be good for a theoretical understanding of reality. But for us, who are interested in life as it is lived by ordinary people, these ideas are of little values.

Therefore, the history of philosophy looks very different from the perspective of philosophical practice. The important philosophers are different, the central books are different, the main philosophical treasures are different. For us, Gabriel Marcel, Novalis, or Emerson may be more important than Descartes or Hume. We have a very different map of the history of philosophy. I do not think that we are distorting philosophy. These are two different, but equally legitimate views.

Throughout the history of philosophy, many fascinating thinkers wrote fascinating texts, but they were pushed to the periphery, because they did not fit into the mainstream, into the establishment. They had much to say about “peripheral” issues, and little to say about those issues that counted as “important.”

Philosophical practice at last brings back to the center those ignored and forgotten “peripheral” texts and thinkers. And Agora, as a website of philosophical practice, gives them the voice which they deserve.