The Experts, the Virtuous and the Wounded. Who Should Take Part in an «Ideal Conversation»?

Elisabetta Lalumera and Sarah Songhorian discuss Philip Kitcher’s Moral Progress. Lalumera focuses on the notion of «ideal conversation» as central to Kitcher’s democratic contractualism, raising concerns about the criteria for inclusion, the role of expertise, and the tension between inclusivity and the requirement for virtuous participants. Songhorian explores the interplay between individual and social dimensions of moral progress, highlighting Kitcher’s rejection of teleological or discovery-based conceptions in favor of a pragmatic, problem-solving approach.