A historical exploration and critique of the notion that philosophy comprises a distinct manner of speaking.

Western philosophy has often claimed for itself not just a distinct sphere of knowledge, but a distinct form of communication, set against ordinary speech. In Speaking Philosophically, Thomas Sutherland proposes that for some philosophers, authentic philosophizing demands a specific manner of speaking or writing, adoption of which enables one to gesture toward truths that propositional speech will never grasp. Drawing on a variety of thinkers – Heraclitus, Plato, Kant, Fichte, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Weil, Foucault, and Irigaray – Sutherland argues this emphasis on the form of philosophical communication can function as an exclusionary mechanism, determining who is deemed capable of speaking philosophically.

"A stunningly original investigation of philosophical expression. Focused less on the content of Western systems of philosophy and more on the challenge of their communicability, the book raises fascinating questions about what philosophizing says, and cannot say, how it speaks, and what that tells us." - Garnet C. Butchart, Associate Professor, Duquesne University, USA

"Drawn to an other without which thinking would remain mute, Speaking Philosophically is both a declaration of love and an appeal for a rethinking of philosophers’ relationship with language—a depth hermeneutics by which the “love of wisdom” is brought back to its discursive provenance as it engages speech and writing in perpetuity." - Briankle G. Chang, Professor of Communication, University of Massachusetts, US

"Thomas Sutherland has produced an excellent book that interrogates the dynamic boundaries and intersections between language, philosophy, knowledge, and subjectivity. Whilst many students and scholars will already be familiar with the ideas of Plato, Kant, and Foucault, Sutherland masterfully weaves Fichte, Simone Weil, and other less famous thinkers into his brilliant narrative. The book makes a major contribution to our understanding of communication and reason today." - Darrow Schecter, Professor of Critical Theory & Modern European History, University of Sussex, UK