WHAT IS A PHILOSOFLICK? In “Let’s Make More Movies,” the epistemological anarchist Paul Feyerabend wrote this: The separation of subjects that is such a pronounced characteristic of modern philosophy is … not altogether undesirable. It is a step on the way to a more satisfactory type of myth. What is needed to proceed further is … [continue reading]
Philosoflicks 4: The Vienna Circle Meets The Hollow Men Meets Flitcraft Meets Us.
WHAT IS A PHILOSOFLICK? In “Let’s Make More Movies,” the epistemological anarchist Paul Feyerabend wrote this: The separation of subjects that is such a pronounced characteristic of modern philosophy is … not altogether undesirable. It is a step on the way to a more satisfactory type of myth. What is needed to proceed further … [continue reading]
EDGY SPEECH DOUBLE FEATURE 2. A Plea for Edgy Philosophy.
1. Nowadays, philosophy is practiced almost universally at universities. If you want to be a philosopher, it’s almost inevitable that you should be a “professional philosopher” working as an “academic”. I have explored elsewhere some of the harms of this association. While professionalizing philosophy looks like a good thing, I shall argue that it kills … [continue reading]
EDGY SPEECH DOUBLE FEATURE 1. The Leiter-Motif in the Sartwell Debate, and the Double-Edged Sword.
FK: I’ve read the recent post on Sartwell by W1 and X1, and they’re right of course, especially with respect to the sanctimonious silence from those who usually shout at every opportunity. But it might also be good to point out that Brian Leiter at least is on the right side by defending Sartwell’s fundamental … [continue reading]
On Playing the “Mental Health Issues” Card in the Crispin Sartwell Debate.
In the well-known professional philosophy blog, The Daily Arse, and elsewhere online, some people have been claiming that Crispin Sartwell is suffering from “mental health” (what an awful, but aptly Foucauldian, euphemism) “issues,” and that this explains away whatever is going on. The charge has the triple-benefit of: 1. Making the charger appear so very … [continue reading]
The Unbearable Leiter of Being.
APP Editors’ Note: V is a full professor of philosophy at a research university–and a star gazer. The stars. There are so very many stars. And we are so small. Yet, some would make us smaller still. To have been given a fine brain and to use it for petty and ignoble ends is bad … [continue reading]
The Double Infantilization of Professional Philosophy.
I. KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM RULES, by Ms Pratte. 1. We listen and do. 2. We sit, stand, and walk properly. 3. We treat others the way we would like to treated. 4. We take turns and share. 5. We respect the personal space of others. 6. We do not leave the classroom without permission. 7. We … [continue reading]
What It’s Like to Exit Professional Philosophy: Crispin Sartwell.
APP Editors’ Note: What is it like to exit professional philosophy? The first item below is re-posted from Crispin Sartwell’s blog. It refers to the amazing “Out.” The second is new and exclusive to APP. And this just arrived from CS: “update. i have been removed from my campus on the grounds that posting miranda … [continue reading]
Abusive Speech vs. Edgy Speech: Professional Philosophy’s Fanny Squeers and Professional Philosophy’s Lenny Bruce.
APP Editors’ Note: FS is a tenured full professor of philosophy at a state university somewhere in Texas, and Crispin Sartwell is a tenured associate professor of philosophy at Dickinson College. If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If both the facts and the … [continue reading]
Hyper-Disciplined Minds: The Professionalization of Philosophy and the Death of Dissent.
1. Recently I’ve been reading and thinking about an amazing book, Jeff Schmidt’s Disciplined Minds. It was published in 2000, so 16 years ago, and I was gobsmacked that I’d never heard about it until last month. Here’s a good, short summary of the book. For my purposes, what matters is Schmidt’s main thesis, which … [continue reading]