October 30, 2001
Norman,
I thought this piece of yours was pretty interesting; it's not
something I've really considered as a problem with philosophy, partly
because I haven't attended many presentations where there's been much open
hostility, and partly because I haven't been exposed to other disciplines
where the approach might be seen as more cooperative.
I would like to say, however, that I think in some cases a more
aggressive disposition – particularly by students of philosophy – might be
helpful in certain academic climates, especially within parts of the
Anglo-American tradition. I'm an undergraduate at a large university that's
known for its determinists and physicalists, and I don't want to come across
as hyperbolic when I say that I feel that even a conservative student might
have fears that the great works of philosophy could be (and in some cases
already are) treated as museum-pieces, and that our field of study may
soon find itself unjustifiably collapsed into mere neuroscience and
empirical psychology. It is rather for the respect and love of philosophy
that a student, in this sort of atmosphere, might want to take on a more
aggressive approach for the sake of preventing an otherwise noble field of
inquiry from becoming too reminiscent of medieval scholasticism. In these
cases, it seems as though it's primarily those who have the least to lose,
profesionally speaking, who can make any attempt at creating a more balanced
and progressive atmosphere in some universities. I think this has to be done
with a degree of prudence, respect and above all responsibility; in my case,
it involves meeting with other students (and many graduates who come away
with their philosophy degrees feeling that they've learned nothing useful
about philosophy at all) outside of class and studying the great works that
are seldom given the treatment they deserve in American (and perhaps many
English-speaking) universities. But if the effort of the student is going to
have any effect on his place of study, a passive reading of otherwise
ignored or mistreated texts is insufficient; the circumstances unfortunately
seem to warrant a degree of combativeness as well.
I hope that my note might be helpful, and I'd just like to add that
my opinion is based primarily on my experiences at my own university – my
knowledge of what sort of approach is taken at other American universities,
much less at those of Canada, Australia, etc., is very limited.
Sincerely,
John E. Doe
Note: the author's name and address have been withheld at his request. —Norman Swartz
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