New York
I just returned from a trip to New York in which I gave a paper on consciousness to a conference at Suffolk County Community College (respondent Ed Erwin); attended my friend Gregory Soros’ thirtieth birthday party (on a boat by Chelsea piers, followed by late-night ten-pin bowling); spent time with a brilliant and brave political exile (“John”) from Malaysia at Gregory’s place in Soho (we listened to a lot of Prince songs); had a long and profound dinner with Tom Nagel; and ended with a delightful lunch with George Stephanopoulos. All round a very good trip.
The contrast between the people I saw in NY and the people now occupying the philosophy profession (not all of them!) was not lost on me. The business about Tuvel is just the latest in a series of outrages perpetrated by a certain type now distressingly common.
I myself have a paper “Transspeciesism” comparing gender, race, and species transformations (coming out in 55 Essays in July). I look forward to the scholarly response.
The more I read the more doomed philosophy (in America) seems to me to be. Too many people have lost touch with reason and decency, and the infighting is too entrenched. There is no way out of it. And it’s all based on nothing.
There used to be an atmosphere of solidarity and common purpose, but now we have mutual suspicion, contempt, and a poisonous pattern of accusation and counter-accusation. This is feeding on itself and reaching new heights. The turmoil has brought the subject into public disrepute. I don’t think people realize how self-destructive it has all become.
Combined with Trump the public atmosphere is completely polluted with political poison. Philosophy should be an escape from this kind of thing (a “safe space”) but it is now just another version of it, complete with indefensible firings.