Previous Index Next



March 18, 1998

Hi there,

I want to commend you on your 'philosophy as a blood sport' paper. It provides an insightful and timely observation. However, I believe that to some extent an explanation (though not necessarily an excuse) for the phenomenon can be given.

In their 1980 book, Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson note that the concept of an argument is structured according to the conceptual metaphor that ARGUMENT IS WAR. They cite several examples to support this claim. For example,
  • Your claims are indefensible.
  • He attacked every weak point in my argument.
  • His criticisms were right on target.
  • I demolished his argument.
  • I've never won an argument with him.
  • You disagree? Okay, shoot!
  • If you use that strategy, he'll wipe you out.
  • He shot down all of my arguments. (p. 4)

Given that philosophy, when done correctly, proceeds by the presentation of arguments, it should be no surprise that there is a warlike sub-text to philosophical engagements. Of course, this is not to say that this is a desirable quality. In addition, if one examines the Socratic dialogues, one often encounters examples taken from sporting and military contexts. This too may offer a partial explanation of the phenomenon.

All the best,

Istvan



Istvan S. N. Berkeley Ph.D.
Philosophy
The University of Southwestern Louisiana
USL P. O. Box 43770, Lafayette, LA 70504-3770, USA
Tel:(318) 482 6807
Fax: (318) 482 6195
http://www.ucs.usl.edu/~isb9112
email: istvan@USL.edu


Previous Index Next