ABSTRACT
I explore the similarities between philosophy and stand-up comedy. By way of this comparison, I argue that that good philosophy calls for engagement with the world, and not just with more philosophy. Philosophy needs the voices of people with diverse perspectives, including especially those with non-dominant identities and non-normative bodies, in part precisely because their engagement with the world will be different, and will yield questions and insights otherwise invisible. Establishing boundaries around what counts as ‘real philosophy’ will exclude new work by non-dominant folks, to the detriment of the discipline. For this reason among others, I claim, giving a precise definition of philosophy is impossible, and trying to do so may be harmful.
