Question In a review of two of Martha Nussbaum's books, the reviewer mentions how, during a meeting of the American Philosophical Association, hotel housekeepers were apparently overheard saying that (and I quote) philosophers, in comparison to other academics, "don’t screw very much, but they sure do drink a lot." I wonder, then - is there a particular kind of temperament that is unusually common among philosophers? Do philosophers tend more towards melancholia (as I assume the notion of drinking implies), and if so, why? What are your experiences in this regard?

Accepted:

May 3, 2012