What is the “lust of the mind” and how does it fit in with the modern university?
Social Dynamics in Philosophizing (vs. Rock n’ Roll)
One of the recurring themes of PEL is the power dynamics in philosophizing. This is not so much the case in what we read but in how we deal with guests, with the authors, with each other. The situation seems pretty simple: We’re each on our own independent, spiritual quest. We can study on our own or we can go Continue Reading …
Philosophical Mavericks: Pirsig, MacIntyre, Solomon, Bergmann
I made the point both on the episode and in a recent post that I thought MacIntyre to be a better model of the outsider philosopher than Pirsig. This is not a point I really want to hammer, as I like Pirsig and I don’t relish dissing someone that many of our listeners have a great appreciation for. So let Continue Reading …
Lila Notes, Pt. 5: Pirsig, Philosophology, and Crankism
To wrap up my thoughts on this subject: Probably the most interesting part of this Pirsig immersion experience for me has been thinking about his stance as a lone philosopher, rebelling against academia. Like Ayn Rand’s, much of Pirsig’s attitude towards academia seems to be a direct result of some assholes he had to deal with in school: arrogant professors, Continue Reading …
More Analytic vs. Continental: What is the “Situation of Reason”?
The disciplinary identity of philosophy is in question. So says John McCumber in “Reshaping Reason”, where he makes a serious argument with evidence of trends pointing toward a sort of Hegelian synthesis in American philosophy to overcome the “Fantasy Island” of analytic thought and the “Subversive Struggle” of continental thought. “Fantasy Island” and “Subversive Struggle” are McCumber’s well-reasoned nicknames for Continue Reading …
To Go or Not to Go: The Philosophy Grad School Question
Via Leiter, here’s a typical sober (read: utterly pessimistic) guide to determining whether or not to go to grad school in philosophy. Despite the fact that I’ve read many of these pessimistic assessments, the answers to questions 8 and 9 — “Can I advance in the profession through talent and hard work?” and “Will I influence the field through my Continue Reading …
Should you become an academic? A letter on Salon.com
A letter was featured in the “advice column” on Salon.com on Monday that does a good job of elaborating what seems crappy about teaching academically: read it here. It mentions the terrible job market and administrative hassles but focuses on the experience of having to be an authority figure to ungrateful, uninterested, sometimes academically dishonest students. Because I’ve read my Continue Reading …
“Britain’s assault on the love of truth for its own sake”
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum in the The New Republic: In Britain today there is a new government program called the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Under the REF, scholars in all fields will be rated, and fully twenty-five percent of each person’s rating will be assigned for the “impact” of their work—not including its impact on other scholars or on people who Continue Reading …