Topics Philosophy

Question In your opinion, what are the philosophers, or philosophical positions or movements, that are most wildly misrepresented outside of academic circles? Why do you suppose this misrepresentation takes place?

Accepted:
March 30, 2011

Comments

I don't know to what extent any philosophers or philosophical positions are mispresented outside of academia. However, throughout academia, both in philosophy and in other disciplines, 'Cartesian' and its cognates have become somewhat dirty words, implying a completely 'unhuman' separation of mind and body, a commitment to an absurd notion of the transparency of the mind, a downgrading of the body in favor of the mind, a sharp separation between reason and the passions or emotions, and other errors. Consideration of the historical Descartes, however, reveals that he is not guilty of certain of the errors that are imputed to him, or that his purported errors, when set in the broader context of his own overarching philosophical aims and projects, are less absurd than they might seem when taken out of context. One reason that this sort of misrepresentation may take place is that the historical Descartes, the 'founder of modern philosophy', is seen as a father who has to be slain in order for philosophy to make progress; another reason for certain of the misrepresentations of Descartes may be due to the fact that many of those who impute errors to him have spent relatively little time with his texts, and base their charges on views taken out of context or on certain general 'pictures' of Descartes that may not reflect the views of the historical Descartes at all.

Question In your opinion, what are the philosophers, or philosophical positions or movements, that are most wildly misrepresented outside of academic circles? Why do you suppose this misrepresentation takes place? Accepted:March 30, 2011

Question In your opinion, what are the philosophers, or philosophical positions or movements, that are most wildly misrepresented outside of academic circles? Why do you suppose this misrepresentation takes place?

Accepted:
March 30, 2011