Topics Philosophy

Question More people are familiar with the ideas of Camus and Sartre, two examples of continental philosophers who wrote of the need of philosophy to be applied to the human condition, than are aware who Quine and Wittgenstein were. Does it bother analytic philosophers that most people consider analytic philosophy to have zero relevance in their lives yet regard many continental philosophers as public intellectuals?

Accepted:
July 18, 2013

Comments

Speaking for myself as an analytic philosopher, I'm bothered more by (a) the fact that "most people consider analytic philosophy to have zero relevance in their lives" than by (b) the fact that many people "regard many continental philosophers as public intellectuals." I think (a) stems from most people's ignorance about what analytic philosophy is and about what training in analytic philosophy can enable them to do. Among other things, training in analytic philosophy can help them see that some of today's public intellectuals (including, yes, some philosophers in the continental tradition but also some physicists and biologists) don't deserve the publicity they've received.

Unfortunately, given the way North American schoolteachers are currently chosen and trained, I'm not sure how much philosophy can be properly taught to secondary school students. Given entrenched current realities, a student's education in philosophy may need to wait until college/university. In that case, of course, only college/university students will get proper training in philosophy even if we make it required for their degree. What about the rest of the populace? On the bright side, more people seem to be participating in higher education than before, which gives academic philosophers a chance to reach more of the populace. But we need the cooperation of administrators in encouraging and even requiring students to take philosophy.

Online resources -- including websites like this one -- can help too, but I think they're no substitute for formal education. As I see it, the people who most need the discipline of philosophical training need to be taught philosophy by properly trained teachers who can require them to complete assignments, give them feedback, and hold them to standards.

One thing that analytic philosophers ought to do right now is address the serious public-relations problem faced by their discipline. Too many people have no idea what philosophy done right looks like, and they labor under all sorts of misconceptions. A national organization such as the American Philosophical Association should hire a public-relations firm to improve the public image of philosophy, dispel the misconceptions, and highlight the value of philosophical training for any educable person. Unlike the PR engaged in by some other professions, ours could be totally honest, and it might be effective.

I suppose I count as a'continental' philosopher. It is worth pointing out that thisanalytic/ continental distinction, however you want to draw it, andfor whatever it is worth, is mainly internal to philosophy. 'Mostpeople' would not be aware of the distinction. Heck, there are signsin businesses that say 'Our philosophy is to provide an excellentcustomer experience'. So, I fully support the need for publiceducation and some kind of large-scale PR exercise. However, thereare hopeful signs. The book market is virtually flooded withintroductions to this or that philosophy, theme or topic, most aimedat a general audience. Experts at judging their markets, publishers clearly see a wide interest in philosophy. This is not an entirely new phenomenon, ofcourse, but its scale is unprecedented. Also there are a very fineset of materials for doing philosophy with children (indeed, even mydaughter's school uses them), and this could be encouraged much more.