Is Philosophy Inherently Escapist?

Portrait of Princess Hajib with an APP spin.

W2: I wanted to raise a question in light of your recent post, Hyper-Disciplined Minds.  One of my concerns is that some problems you raise for professionalized philosophers are, in fact, problems for anyone who pursues philosophy full time. The fact that experts in critical thinking are siphoned off into the ivory tower, where society … [continue reading]

The APA is a PAC for Hyper-Disciplining Your Mind (APA.org Re-Post, With an Afterword by Z).

1. From: APA@apaonline.org <APA@apaonline.org> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2016 12:48 PM To: Z Subject: A letter from Robert Audi to all APA members Dear Colleagues, I am writing you about opportunities and needs of the profession of philosophy and the APA. As you know, the APA sponsors three international meetings a year, supports teaching and … [continue reading]

Between Familiarity and Bewilderment: Towards A Theory of Incoherent Philosophical Bullshit. A No-Bullshit Approach to Philosophical Bullshit, part I. (Studies in Critical Metaphilosophy & Critical History of Philosophy 6)

BY OTTO PAANS. 1. Introductory Moves  The output of philosophical practice is extremely varied in its topics and starting points. There are numerous theories of mind, different conceptions of knowledge and truth-value in epistemology, various metaphysical visions about the structure of reality, and varying strands of ethics, ranging from virtue ethics to Kantianism to utilitarianism … [continue reading]

Home Sweet Soames: “Philosophy’s True Home” (NYT Re-Post, With an Afterword by Z).

1. Philosophy’s True Home, by Scott Soames. New York Times, 7 March 2016. Scott Soames is director of the school of philosophy at the University of Southern California’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He is the author of “The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy.” We’ve all heard the argument that philosophy is isolated, an … [continue reading]

An Insider’s View of the Brazilian Philosophical World, Or, How to Build a Really Totalitarian System.

APP Editors’ Note: SK is a PhD student in philosophy at a Brazilian university. Before getting underway, I want to stress that what follows is not a condemnation or denunciation of the Brazilian philosophical world, as such, nor is it a full critique–that would require an entire book!—of contemporary Brazilian professional academic philosophy. Instead, it’s … [continue reading]