Recently, I received the following bit of e-propaganda from the APA– Dear Z, I am writing today to let you know that the APA board of officers has approved the following statement, which was proposed by the committee on public philosophy and the committee on the status and future of the profession: The American Philosophical … [continue reading]
The Analytic Self-Image.
Many essays, books and articles have been produced on the distinction between Analytic philosophy and Continental philosophy. Several recent installments in the long-running and seemingly never-ending Analytic vs. Continental debate have been posted here at APP: “Analytic” Philosophy vs. “Continental” Philosophy: Wtf? Why Does It Still Matter So Much? “Analytic” vs. “Continental” Philosophy Revisited. Which … [continue reading]
When They Come For You—And They Will! A Survival Guide.
APP Editors’ Note: A.S. Urvivor, aka ASU, is a serious philosopher, over 30 and female, who teaches at a public university somewhere in the English-speaking world. Dear APP, When I was tipped off about your movement (by a subversive friend) and began reading your edgy posts, my heart leapt for joy as I began to … [continue reading]
Five Theses About Real Philosophy, #1.
I. Introduction Some time ago, one of APP’s readers asked how real philosophy as we define and practice it (two activities that are inextricably connected) is supposed to be different from other types of philosophy, and whether all philosophy that is not real philosophy should be regarded as “fake” or “inauthentic” philosophy.[i] To a certain … [continue reading]
Ivory Bunker Mentality, Par Excellence: L’Affaire Tuvel.
Today is the final round of the French Presidential run-offs, between Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, and Marine Le Pen, an alt-right, neo-fascist, neoliberal female counterpart of US President Donald Trump. As of this moment, the outcome of the Macron-Le Pen run-off is unknown. But Kant willing, the French voting public won’t make the same tragicomic … [continue reading]
Professional Philosophy and the Normalized Intellectual.
For more than 35 years, I’ve been amazed, amused, bemused, and appalled by professional academic philosophy–my varying mental states cascading over one another, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, both in alternation and in combination. A question that has always intrigued and worried me, right from the time I … [continue reading]
This Be The Worse: An Anarcho-Poem.
The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well? (H.D. Thoreau, Walden I, “Economy”) With Apologies to Philip Larkin, and Malice toward Some. … [continue reading]
An Introduction to Metamodernism.
APP Editors’ Note: Philip Damico is a metamodernist. Metamodernism is an emerging movement that hopes to synthesize both postmodernism (a movement and era in philosophy and art that’s loosely characterized by moral relativism and abstract art that began in the mid 20th century and continues to this day) and modernism (a movement and era in … [continue reading]
Professional Philosophy and the Moral Ambiguity of The March for Science.
Natural science, as we all know, is the systematic pursuit of truth about the material or physical world in space and time, a systematic pursuit that is grounded on empirical evidence, guided by the formal sciences of mathematics and logic, and driven by general theories. But natural science, aka science, must be sharply distinguished from … [continue reading]
Radical Enlightenment 2: Dialectical Enlightenment.
Our recent article, “Aliens, Antisemitism, and Academia,” in Jacobin Magazine, has elicited a flurry of responses, running the gamut from enthusiastic to excoriating. However, most of the critical replies have remained at the level of exegetics. That is, they have questioned whether our championing of the “Radical Enlightenment” tradition accurately reflects the whole body of … [continue reading]