Drama as Philosophical Genre

This article argues that theater can make a meaningful contribution to pluralist philosophy. As a performed narrative involving multiple perspectives, drama can illuminate the complexity and legitimacy of a plurality of theoretical commitments, whereas direct argumentation must weaken the opposition by putting it in a less compelling light. Dramatic performance can maximize philosophy’s talent for questioning by conveying the rich possibilities and tensions among conflicting and contextually situated points of view without ultimately taking a definitive stance.